Has Guided Pirates to NCAA Championships

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth University head coach Toby Schwarz has been named as the Women's NCAA Division III West Region Coach of the Year by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Whitworth's women earned their second West Regional title in program history on November 14, claiming the team title by almost 60 points to earn the program's second bid to the NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships. The victory by Whitworth was the first women's region title for the school since 2002. The Whitworth women also claimed their first-ever Northwest Conference team title this season, placing all five scoring runners in the top 15 finishers at the conference meet. Schwarz was named Northwest Conference Coach of the Year.

Whitworth's women, along with a pair of men's individual qualifiers, will race on Saturday at the NCAA Championships, hosted by Baldwin-Wallace College near Cleveland, Ohio.