MONMOUTH, Ore.—Biola’s Bethany Mapes traveled to where no other PacWest woman has gone before—at least not in over 20 years.
Mapes won the 2025 NCAA Division II West Region Women’s Cross Country Championship, traveling across the 6-kilometer course in 20:29.31, clipping Chico State’s Iresh Molina (20:32.54). Molina, the CCAA champ, finished in a virtual dead heat with third-place Vivian Martinez of Cal Poly Pomona (20.32.71) and
Point Loma’s Maddie Reeves (20:32.82).
Mapes, who finished seventh at the west regional in 2024 and was eighth in 2022, becomes the first PacWest NCAA West Region Champ since 2004 when Chelsea Smith of BYU-Hawaii won. Smith also won in 2003 and Hawaii Pacific’s Nina Christenson won the race in 1999 and 2001. She is also Biola's first west region champ.
Mapes, a senior who won the PacWest Championships two weeks ago, helped lead the Eagles to a fourth place finish with 163 points. Defending champ and No. 9 nationally ranked Chico State won the title with 40 points, followed by Cal Poly Pomona (86), Western Washington (140),
Biola, Stanislaus State (163) and
Point Loma in sixth (237).
The race was run on the campus of Western Oregon University at the Ash Creek Preserve, under cloudy skies and 50 degrees (with wind gusts).
Other PacWest teams competing were
Concordia (eighth),
Vanguard (tenth),
Fresno Pacific (15
th),
Azusa Pacific (18
th),
Hawaii Hilo (24
th) and
Chaminade (27
th).
Behind Mapes helping Biola to that fourth place finish were
Hailey Wurzbach (27
th),
Madison Ebright (37th, and
Elizabeth Kurtz (42nd). The Eagles have become a fixture among the top teams at the west regional, having finished third last year, second in 2023 and third in 2022.
Point Loma, whose sixth place finish was their best since 2018, were paced by Reeves and
Zaila Smith (43
rd). Other top 50 runners from the PacWest in the talented field were
Concordia’s Ania Kapustka (15
th, 21:04.16),
Vanguard’s Ella Murray (18
th, 21:06.72) and
Lauren Pahl (40
th, 21:28),
Fresno Pacific’s Julissa Avila (44
th, 21:36),
Jessup’s Angela Gladysh (48
th, 21:36) and
Concordia’s Elizabeth King (49
th, 21:40).
The top three teams automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships on November 22 in Kenosha, Wisc. NCAA at-large berths will be announced early next week, with a complicated formula determining the remaining 10 at-large berths from across the eight NCAA Division II regions. PLNU’s Reeves also qualifies as an individual.
For complete results, click here.
Women 6K - NCAA DII West Regional Championships - Monmouth, Ore - Nov 8, 2025 | Athletic Timing