Viking men shooting to qualify for NCAA D2 cross country champs Saturday in Monmouth...

All eyes will be on Ash Creek Preserve on the campus of Western Oregon University in Monmouth Saturday, as Western Oregon hosts the NCAA Division II West Regional cross country meet with spots to the national championship meet on the line.

Based on performances throughout the season thus far, the Western Washington men's squad has the most realistic shot at qualifying for the national championships in St. Leo (outside Tampa), Florida in two weeks, based on their number 28 national ranking entering the regionals.

To automatically qualify for the national championships, teams must place in the top three Saturday in each of the eight regional meets contested around the country.

Ten additional teams will be selected by Monday as at-large entries, giving the national championship race a total of 34 teams. In addition, 16 individuals (2 per region) from the eight regional races, plus eight at-large individuals will earn opportunities to race in the national championships. 

The Vikings, who finished second to number 24 Simon Fraser at the GNAC championships in Lacey two weeks ago, finished no worse than second in four meets this season, capped by a close second-place finish to Wayne State (Mich.) at the Roy Griak Invitational in September.

Junior Mac Franks, one of just two returners from that 2019 team, placed sixth at the GNAC Championships in 24:46 while freshman Jeret Gillingham was eighth in 24:49.

The regional championship meet will be the third head to head meeting between Simon Fraser and Western Washington, with the Vikings nipping the Clan on October 9th at the Bill Roe WWU Classic in Bellingham over the 10k distance, which will be run Saturday at the regional meet.

The heavy favorite in the men's team race is Chico State, ranked number 7 in the latest USTFCCCA D2 coaches poll. Chico State won the Bill Roe WWU Classic convincingly last month, scoring 35 points, with WWU second at 69 and Simon Fraser third with 69. Fresno Pacific at number 20 in the national polls is the other nationally ranked men's squad entered in the regional championship meet.

Saint Martin's junior Jack Farrell (above/photo courtesy SMU Athletics), who was seventh at the GNACs, is one of the top men's individuals to watch Saturday.

On the women's side, it may be a difficult road for any Washington team to qualify for the nationals, with five nationally ranked teams entered in the field, including GNAC champion Simon Fraser, currently ranked at number 8.

Athletes from Washington schools to watch include Seattle Pacific's Annika Esvelt, who was ninth at GNACs in 22:07, as well as the Western Washington trio of Brook Wedin, who placed 11th in 22:27, along with Brittany Aquino and Ila Davis, who were close behind in 13th and 14th place with times of 22:31 and 22:32.

The women's 6k race starts the day off at 10 am, followed by the men's 10k at 11:15 am.

Host Western Oregon will offer live streaming of the regionals, with the link to watch available here.

The link to live results is available here.

NOTE: The USTFCCCA, the sports information office at Saint Martin's University, and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference contributed to this report.

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