INDEPENDENCE, Ore. – For the first time since the fall of 2016, the Corban University Men's and Women's Cross Country teams are finishing up preparations to host the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Championships, which will take place on Friday, November 7th at the Oak Knoll Golf Course, just 20 minutes west of Corban's campus. Coincidentally, both programs are also receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Polls for the first time since 2016, with the men's squad entering tomorrow's race as the No. 20-overall team nationally, while the women began to receive votes in the most recent poll after a strong showing at the George Oja Invitational. The men and women will both enter tomorrow's championship races with potential All-Conference and individual title contenders, but most importantly, look to qualify both individuals and as complete teams for the 2025 NAIA National Championships.
"We're really excited for tomorrow's races and what results they will bring for our programs!" shared associate head coach Stuart Eagon earlier today. "We're hoping to see our men's team in the mix with the five teams all bunched very closely near the top, with our main priority still being qualification for the national championship meet. On the women's side, we'll need to finish in the top four to qualify as well, which it is well within our reachable goals. We've had very good preparation over the past few weeks and feel like we're ready to go."
On the women's side of tomorrow's event, four different programs enter as the favorites to win the team title, represented by No. 5-ranked College of Idaho, No. 16-ranked Eastern Oregon University, No. 18-ranked Southern Oregon University, and No. 22-ranked Lewis-Clark State College. With Oregon Tech also receiving votes in the poll alongside the Corban women's program, tomorrow's championships meet will feature some of the top student-athletes the NAIA has to offer.
Leading the charge for the Warrior women will be senior Abigail Oosterhout, who most recently broke the program record for a 6k race after finishing 25th overall among over 350 total participants during the Linfield University hosted meet on October 18th, on the same course the entire CCC will be running on tomorrow morning. Her 21:42.9 is the fifth fastest time across the Pacific Northwest in 2025 to date and 18th best across the entire national scene.
Assisting Oosterhout in the team scoring will be sophomores Carrie Babcock (22:37.4) and Shaelee Killorn (23:16.5), alongside freshmen Adaline McDowell and Amelia Anstrand who all set personal bests at the George Oja Invitational as well and will have an opportunity to break those records once again on the same course. Freshman Kate Dickson (25:53.8) and sophomore Makayla Rose (25:59.9) were the final Warriors to submit sub-26 minute times in their last meet and will factor into the team scoring tomorrow with personal best finishes.
The men will have some heavy lifting to do tomorrow morning with some incredibly tough competition returning to Oak Knoll, yet it is well within their capabilities having improved upon their team finishes throughout the season and historically at the CCC Championships since 2022. With the addition of No. 15-ranked Trinity Western University to the conference this season, along with the usual competition provided by No. 9-ranked Southern Oregon, No. 10-ranked Eastern Oregon, No. 12-ranked C of I, and a receiving-votes Northwest University squad, tomorrow's men's race will surely be a down-to-the-wire decision both from a team and individual finish.
The CCC is responsible for five of the top six times ran this year across the entire country, with junior Jack Gladfelter's 23:49.7 clocking in at No. 6-overall. The top 20 national rankings are littered with conference foes, while senior Zander Moha has risen to the No. 11-national spot following a huge PR at the George Oja Invitational. The upperclassmen duo will not only contend for an individual conference championship but lead the Warriors on the team scoring side as well.
Factoring into the team scoring tomorrow will likely be junior Braydon Lee and brothers Bennet and Logan Mason, who have continuously risen through the Corban rankings as the season progresses and alongside freshman Samuel Bonsell, were the final four Navy and Gold runners to submit a sub-26 minute 8k personal best just three weeks ago. With a clan of Warriors right behind ready to step up at a moment's notice, the Corban men's cross country crew is prepared for what will be an absolute battle tomorrow morning.
Live results for tomorrow's meet will be made available by AthleticTiming, with results being tabulated throughout the morning races HERE. For any additional information regarding the CCC championship races, click HERE to visit the championship central page.
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