BILLINGS, Mont.--Biola and Azusa Pacific will be chasing familiar foes this coming Saturday (Nov. 9) at the NCAA West Region Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships. 

The Eagle and Cougar men will be racing against favored Chico State and Western Washington for the team title, while the women will be chasing the same two schools. The action begins with the men's ten kilometer race at 10 a.m. mountain time, with the women's championship to follow (6K) at 11:15 a.m., both races at Amend Park in Billings. 

The Azusa Pacific men can boast of a PacWest team title and having the top two runners cross the finish line at the conference championship two weeks ago in Irvine. Jared Wright and Felix Perrier went 1-2 and Riley Burns was fourth, and those three will need to be in the top group again in Billings for the Cougars to challenge Chico State and Western Washington.

Biola, who finished a close second behind APU, can challenge that grouping as well. Melt von Molendorff was third in Irvine and teammate Aidan Tomasini was sixth for the Eagles, who had 44 teams points to APU's 29.

Concordia, who finished third at the PacWest Championships, will also challenge in Billings along with Westmont, Fresno Pacific and Hawaii Pacific. Last year at the NCAA West Regional in Oregon, the Cougars finished second, Concordia was sixth and Biola seventh.

All teams in the field will be seeking to upend the Wildcats and Vikings. Chico State won the CCAA title again two weeks ago for an astounding 22nd consecutive time. The 'Cats had the top for runners in the race. Western Washington won the GNAC title, their third straight conference crown. Heading into this weekend, Chico State is ranked first in the region and sixth natonally. The Vikings are second in the west and ninth in the NCAA.

Azusa Pacific is third and 18th and Biola is fourth and 19th in those same polls. No PacWest team has ever won the regional title, with APU's second place finish last year and Fresno Pacific's runner-up run in 2021 the closest. 

In the women's race, PacWest runners will be chasing the same two teams, but on paper the race appears closer. Coming into the meet, CCAA champ Chico State is ranked first in the region (13th nationally), Western Washington is second (14th) and Biola is third (16th). At the conference meets the last weekend of October, Chico State won their second straight title, WWU won its third consecutive and Biola notched their third.

The Eagles won their race comfortably with 29 team points, ahead of second place Concordia (76). BU's Lynette Ruiz and Bethany Mapes went 2-3 with Aislin Taylor close behind in fifth. Azusa Pacific's Jessica Kampman Walczak won the 6K race and will be a challenger in Billings as well. Point Loma, third place in Irvine, had the fourth best runner at the conference meet in Maddie Reaves.

Joining the Eagles, Cougars, Golden Eagles and Sea Lions in Billings will be Fresno Pacific, Westmont, Hawai`i Hilo, Hawai`i Pacific and Chaminade.

Biola's second place finish in Monmouth (Ore.) last year was the second best ever regional placing for a PacWest team, and the Eagles third place listing in 2022 on this same Billings course was third (California Baptist won the west region trophy in 2017). 

Montana State Billings was also the host in 2022 on a cold day that featured snow on the course. Good news for warm(er) weather fans, the temperatures look to be in the 50's this year with no rain in the forecast. 

The top three finishing teams receive an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships, set for Nov. 23 at Arcade Creek Cross Country Course in Sacramento. Another ten at-large teams will be selected from across the country.