WEST REGIONALS: Bruin Women Finish 14th as Hochstetler Earns All-Region Honors

West Regional Results (W) / West Regional Results (M)

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Courtney Hochstetler became the first George Fox University women’s runner to earn All-Region honors in four years and the Bruins as a team came in 14th out of 20 teams in the NCAA Division III West Regional Cross Country Championships held Saturday morning here at the Pomona-Pitzer Colleges course.

The Bruins had only one competitor in the Men’s 8K Championship race over the same course, Kyle Dreibelbis, who finished 42nd out of 123 runners with a time of 26:38.9. 

Hochstetler ran the women’s 6K course in 22:55.4 to finish 33rd out of 134 racers (the top 35 are named All-Region).  The last Bruin to earn All-Region status was Rachel Giffey-Brohaugh, who finished 22nd in th 2007 regional. 

Other Bruin marks included a 23:34.7 by Kate Freiheit, who finished 57th; Chelsea Sowards with a 24:10.3, finishing 78th; Sarah MacKenzie with a 24:38.6, placing 92nd; and Alyssa Turner, who was 113th with a 25:17.3.

George Fox earned 373 points for its 14th-place finish.  The team race was won by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges with 39 points, well ahead of runner-up Willamette University with 131 points.  Both Claremont and Willamette earned automatic bids to the NCAA Division III National Championships, which are coming up Nov. 19 at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne, Wis.

The individual winner was Annie Lydens of Pomona-Pitzer, who defended her 2010 title with a time of 21:26.1.  Second place went to Illana Livstrom of Lewis & Clark College, who ran a 21:33.0.

“This was one of the best races our women have run in a long time,” said George Fox distance coach Jeff Larson.  “Four of the five - Courtney, Kate, Chelsea and Alyssa - ran personal bests, and Sarah wasn’t far off.  I think they all wanted to prove something after we didn’t fare so well at the Northwest Conference Championships two weeks ago, and they went and got it done.  I am very proud of all of them.”

Colorado College and host Occidental College shared the men’s title, each with 76 points, and both will head for the nationals.  Jackson Brainerd of Colorado College took individuals honors with a time of 24:53.4, a little more than six seconds ahead of Claremont’s Rafer Dannenhauer, who ran a 24:59.7.

Minor, nagging injuries took its toll on the Bruin men’s numbers for the regional, but Larson was equally pleased with the effort by Dreibelbis, saying, “Kyle didn’t miss All-Region honors by much.  He ran a fine race and really left it all out there on a tough course.”