SALEM, Ore. -- For the sixth consecutive season, the George Fox cross country team swept the Northwest Conference Championships, winning nearly every award en route to the conference title.

Top Performances
The last time the Bruins hosted the conference title was 2016, with neither team finishing in the top five. Ten years later, Breanna Schmitt delivered the Bruins, who entered the race ranked No. 21 in the USTFCCCA Coaches Poll, a first-place finish. The All-American led from the get-go, winning the 6k by 20 seconds with a time of 21:10.5. For her efforts, she was named All-NWC First Team and NWC Women's Runner of the Meet.

Fox has one additional runner named to the First Team: Chloe Cook. The graduate student was named to her first-ever All-NWC team thanks to a fourth-place effort of 21:42.1

Three Bruins were named to the All-NWC Second Team: Hope Bridge, Karina Rodriguez, and Aubree Carr. Rodriguez and Carr each ran a personal best time to earn eighth place (22:08.4) and 10th place finishes (22:10.0). Bridge finished just ahead of the duo in seventh with a time of 22:02.1. 

Reese Borchert was just two seconds behind Carr, finishing in 11th place thanks to a time of 22:12.3. Borchert's positioning earned her an All-NWC Third Team honor. Alana Rebar wasn't just a Third Teamer — she placed 15th with a personal-best 22:21.9 — but she was also the top-finishing freshman in the field. That distinction helped her earn Women's NWC Rookie of the Meet honors, the second straight time that Fox had won that award. GFU had the top three freshmen in the meet: Rebar, Claire Matthews, and Owyhee Harguess.

Not to be outdone, the George Fox men (who entered ranked No. 28 in the Coaches Poll) won their seventh straight NWC Championship thanks to a solid all-around performance. While London Haley of Whitworth won the event, Westin Madden picked up an All-NWC First Team award thanks to his 8k time of 24:21.8, third-fastest. Caden Hildenbrand was close behind, finishing in fifth with a 24:26.4.

Four of the five athletes named to the All-NWC Second Team were from George Fox — and it was this consistency that helped GFU pick up the win. Carson Stockwell (11th, 24:54.8), Jefferson Smith (25:17.0), Caleb Hawkins (14th, 25:17.6), and Drew Baker (15th 25:20.4) all helped push the Bruins to victory in part due to their third-team efforts. Like Rebar, Hawkins was the fastest freshman in the field, and was duly named the Men's Rookie of the Meet.

Makai Peak and Isaac Montanes rounded out the top seven finishers for the Bruins. Peak ended his day with a 25:30.1, good for 18th, while Montanes finished 21st with a 25:35.0.

For the team scores, the Bruin women totaled just 30 points, 10 better than their closest competition in Whitworth. The Fox men also defeated second-place Whitworth, with the Bruins' 46 points 22 better than the runner-up. Those efforts earned head coach Mike Wilson his sixth straight NWC Coach of the Year honors on both the men's and women's sides.

Coach's Thoughts
"Awesome day for both teams," Bruin head coach Mike Wilson said, "I'm really proud of both these groups and how they show up each and every day. The results simply show the consistency of how they work hard each and every practice all year long. 

I'm super pumped for Bree! As awesome of a runner as she is, she's an even better human being, and it's so rewarding to see her get that individual title. She's worked her tail off for that, and she's earned every bit of it. From on the sidelines last year to conference champ this year is hard to put in words. 

On the men's side, awesome runs for Westin and Caden. Those two guys push each other so well in races, and it was huge for our team today. Westin got the medal, but both guys getting First Team is awesome. Similarly to our women, it was the mid pack that earned the win. It's hard to pick who you're most proud of when I'm proud of all of them.

On to regionals next. Plenty left to get done!"

What Happens Next
The Bruins won't have much time to soak in their conference championship win — instead, they'll get right to work preparing for regionals. Fox will travel up north to Spokane, Wash. to compete at the NCAA West Regional at the course. The meet is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.