Pirate Men Finish as NWC Runners Up

Whitworth Cross Country at NWC Championships Women 1st of 9 Men 2nd of 9

Dana Misterek

Joy Shufeldt

ESTACADA, Ore. -- Whitworth University ran to its first Northwest Conference women's cross country title in school history on Saturday, while the Pirate men took second place overall at the NWC Championships held at McIver State Park.

The Pirate women placed five scorers among the top 14 finishers to edge Whitman College 37-43.

Dana Misterek (So., Gig Harbor, Wash.) finished second in 22:12.30, while Joy Shufeldt (Fr., Portland, Ore.) was third in 22:15.10, giving Whitworth a quick leg up on Whitman in the six kilometer race. Linfield's Marci Klimek won in 21:50.80.

Kathryn Williams (Jr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) was eighth (22:36.00), while Tonya Turner (So., Spokane, Wash.) was 10th (22:58.90). Jo E Mayer (Sr., Spokane, Wash.) completed Whitworth's scoring in 14th place (23:13.80).

Both Misterek and Shufeldt earn First Team All-NWC honors, while Williams, Turner and Mayer are Second Team All-NWC honorees. The top seven finishers are first team selections, while the next seven are second team.

The final women's team scores were: Whitworth 37, Whitman 43, Linfield 83, Lewis & Clark 105, Willamette 112, Pacific Lutheran 161, Puget Sound 169, Pacific (Ore.) 215, George Fox incomplete.

Whitworth's NWC title is the first ever for the Pirate women. The previous best finish had been second place on several occasions, the most recent in 2008 when Whitworth tied for second with Whitman. Willamette's seven year title run came to an end.

The Whitworth men could not repeat as NWC champions this season as Willamette ran away with the men's title. The final men's team scores were: Willamette 32, Whitworth 71, Linfield 89, Whitman 111, Lewis & Clark 141, Puget Sound 160, Pacific Lutheran 166, Pacific (Ore.) 212, George Fox 225.

Francis Reynolds of UPS repeated his individual title, running the eight kilometer course in 25:00.71.

Willamette had four runners among the top ten men and seven among the top 17 to win with impressive depth.

Aaron Jenkins (So., Pocatello, Idaho) was ninth in 25:58.83, while Tyler Dudley (So., Salem, Ore.) was 10th in 26:00.72. Dusty Caseria (Sr., Bellingham, Wash.) was 14th (26:10.56), giving Whitworth three Second Team All-NWC honorees.

Nick Gallagher (Jr., Bedford, Iowa) was still slowed by an injured ankle and finished 18th in 26:30.72. Collin Stewart (Sr., Carbondale, Colo.) rounded out Whitworth's scoring in 20th place (26:40.91).

Whitworth will now compete at the NCAA Division III West Regionals next Saturday in Claremont, California. Pomona-Pitzer will host the event on its own campus. The women's race will begin at 9:00 a.m. and the men will race at 10:00 a.m.