Men’s Cross Country won the National Collegiate Athletic Association West Regional title Saturday, marking the seventh consecutive year the team has done so. 

The meet was hosted by Western Oregon at the Ash Creek Reserve in Monmouth, Oregon and featured 23 schools and 156 runners from across the West. The 10k course consisted of large loops around the Ash Creek Reserve.

The Wildcats came into the race after a dominant 2023 season. They started the season ranked No. 1 and held that ranking throughout the fall. They remained undefeated, placing first in all four races leading up to the regional championship. 

Scores are based on how the first five runners of each team finish, with points corresponding to their place.

The Wildcats racked up a score of 47, a comfortable lead above second-place Azusa Pacific and third-place Cal Poly Pomona. The teams scored 61 and 77 points respectively.

Junior Brayden McLaughlin finished fourth with a time of 30:51.0, with junior Dylan White finishing right behind him at 30:52.2 in fifth. 

Daniel Hernandez, who has had a strong season overall, finished with a 30:54.7 in seventh place. 

Junior Joshua O’Neill and sophomore Matthew Gordon rounded out the team’s top five with times of 31:03.1 and 31:08.4 respectively. They placed 14th and 17th. 

Mario Gianni, a freshman, ran a 31:09.1 and finished 18th, while Hunter Dougherty, a junior, ran a 32:17.3 and finished 56th. Gianni was awarded an All-West Regional Accolade for his performance this season.

White was also awarded his first All-West Regional, while Hernandez and O’Neill both became two-time All-West Regions. McLaughlin, on the other hand, won his third consecutive award.

The Wildcats are now headed to the NCAA National Championship on Nov. 18 in Joplin, Missouri. 

Steven Amador can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected]