Results | Rich Postmeet Interview

CLAREMONT, Calif. - It was a momentous morning for the Whitman College cross country program. Whitney Rich won the individual title and Kristen Wanke placed 12th at the NCAA Division III West Region Cross Country Championships on Saturday, propelling both into next weekend's NCAA national championship field.

Rich affirmed her stature as the west region's top runner, finishing the 6K with a time of 21:12.00 nearly 18 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Lila Cardillo of host Pomona-Pitzer. Wanke crossed the finish line in 22:58.10 and helped the Blues send multiple women's runners to the national championships for the first time since 2009.

The women placed fifth in the team standings with the men, led by Eli Fournier (41st, 27:06.90) and Maamoon Saleh (44th, 27:10.50), finished 12th.

I'm really proud of both teams," praised Whitman head coach Scott Shields. "The men moved up one place in our conference overall. It was super hot and took its toll on a lot of the runners. They had a really solid season for a young team and after today I'm excited to see them progress.

"Whitney ran together with the top three runners then pulled away in the last half mile of the race and won it by over 50 meters. Kristen had to pass two runners in the last 200 meters to get the last spot to nationals. It was an amazing finish and she gave it her all."

Rich and Wanke will head to Louisville, Ky. later this week for their first national championships. Both the men's and women's national championship races take place Saturday, Nov. 16 at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park.