News Release Date:
Saturday, November 14

WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- With Yasmeen Colis placing 12th and Sara McCune close behind in 16th, the Whitman College women's cross country team finished second in the team scoring at Saturday's West Regional meet, earning an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III national championships.

It is the first time a Missionary cross country squad has qualified as a team for the national championships since Whitman shifted its affiliation to the NCAA in the mid-1990s. 

The championships are next Saturday in Cleveland, Ohio.

Whitworth finished first in Saturday's regional meet, which was held in Claremont, Calif., with 49 place points for its top five finishers. Whitman was second with 108 points and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps third with 128 points. Pomona-Pitzer was fourth and Occidental fifth.

Colis and McCune, both seniors, earned all-region honors (top 35) for a third straight season..

Colis was clocked in 23:01.15 on the 6,000-meter course. Placing 12th is the best finish of her four trips to the regional meet.

McCune matched her best previous best finish at regionals, placing 16th in 23:19.60

Junior Kristen Ballinger was 19th in 23:30.68 while seniors Heather O'Moore (23:55.62) and Michela Corcorran (24:01.12) placed 32nd and 34th, respectively. It was Corcorran's third straight all-region performance; the second for Ballinger and first for O'Moore.

O'Moore's finish was her best-ever finish at regionals by a wide margin. Her previous best was a 61st-place showing at the 2006 meet. 

Also running for Whitman were first-year Missionary Emilie Gilbert, who was 49th in 24:21.66, and senior Emily Rodriguez, who was 54th in 24:27.87. Rodriguez moved up 10 spots from her previous finish finish at regionals.

The race attracted 113 runners and 17 schools. Alicia Freese, a senior at Pomona-Pitzer, won the race in 22:07.60

Meet Results 

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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu