INDEPENDENCE, Ore. -- For the fourth consecutive season, it was a George Fox sweep at the Northwest Conference Cross Country Championships, with both the men's and women's teams dominating the competition and claiming a pair of NWC Championships.

Top Performances
The Bruin women were the first to compete at Oak Knoll Golf Course, with many runners putting together All-NWC performances. While Lewis & Clark's Riley Buese won the event for the second straight season, Bruin Breanna Schmitt led the team, crossing the finish line in 21:50.8, which earned her second place overall and a First Team All-NWC honor.

Close behind Schmitt and also earning a first-team mark, Sarah Pullen finished sixth with a time of 22:37.4. Hannah Tranby followed suit, clocking in at 22:39.3 and securing ninth place — as well as a Second Team All-NWC award.

Hope Bridge contributed significantly to the team's success, finishing 11th in 22:40.6. Just a heartbeat later, Ellie Rising rounded out the All-NWC teams, completing the race in 12th place, crossing the line at 22:41.1 

Other runners for the women included Karina Rodriguez (22:52.7, 15th), Annalise Gonzales (16th, 23:00.8), Jessie Bailey (23:09.0, 20th), Abbie Goodwin(23:21.3, 27th), and Marcella Leita (23:23.0, 29th).

On the men's side, the Bruins occupied six of the top 14 positions, thereby earning six All-NW awards. Austin Gappa led the George Fox men's team, finishing first overall with an impressive time of 24:31.4, earning him not only a First Team All-NWC honor but also the NWC Runner of the Year award. Gappa's performance marks the third straight season that Fox has had a Runner of the Year after Peter Weiss in 2023 and Brenna Sclair in 2022.

 Closely behind Gappas was his Bruin teammate Alex Mills, who secured third place with a time of 24:43.7, also earning a First Team spot. Caden Hildenbrand made a significant contribution as well, finishing sixth with a time of 24:59.5 for a First Team spot of his own.

Aidan Arthur continued the team's strong performance, crossing the finish line in eighth place at 25:05.4. Gabriel Lachenmeier and Andrew Ross rounded out George Fox's all-conference performances, finishing 10th and 13th respectively, with times of 25:05.9 and 25:11.1. 

Adam Petersen was up next, finishing just outside of the all-conference spots with a 15th at 25:16.1, while Kellen Ruiz was right behind, finishing 16th with a time of 25:24.4. Freshman Caleb Doddington crossed the line in 60th place with a time of 28:00.3 to round out the runners. 

As a team, the Bruin women scored 40 points — 36 more points than their nearest competitor in Willamette. The GFU men, meanwhile, nearly outperformed the rest of the conference combines; Fox finished with 28 points overall, well ahead of Whitworth's 74. Following the meet, Bruin head coach Mike Wilson earned his fourth straight NWC Coach of the Year award for both the men and women.

Up Next
With the conference wrapped up, the Bruins turn to their next hurdle—regionals. Fox will compete in the NCAA West Regional on Saturday, November 16th, in Estacada, Ore., at Milo McIver State Park.