HONOLULU – Members of the Chaminade University women's and men's cross country teams will be headed to Monmouth, Oregon, to participate in this Saturday's NCAA West Regional, hosted by Western Oregon University.
After an eighth-place showing in the Pacific West Conference Championships, the Silverswords' women will be participating as a team while two runners from the men's squad will be competing as individuals.
"As the team coach, I am greatly impressed by the stellar performance of our cross country teams throughout this season," 10th-year head coach
Shadrack Nabea said. "In close connection, our planned participation in the NCAA West Regional is envisioned as having a two-fold objective: Firstly, to serve as an affirmation and encouragement to the team members for all the hard work they have put in thus far. Secondly, to motivate them to dream bigger and endeavor to reach even farther."
For the women's squad, it will be their first appearance in the West Regional since 2012 when the event was held on O'ahu at the Kahuku Golf Course. The last 'Swords' women's runner to compete in a regional was 2019 when Alena Albertson ran as an individual.
Representing the Chaminade women are
Caitlin Bocobo (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani),
Leila-Jayne Casison (Waipahu, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Waipahu),
Cassie Chong (Mililani, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Mililani),
Nikiji Dayse (Memphis, Tenn./Bartlett) and
Jordyn Koki (Ewa Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama). Bocobo is the only senior on the team.
From the men's team,
Mason Stewart (Uniontown, Pa./Uniontown) and senior
Peter Jan Ramos (Waipahu, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Waipahu) will be participating, marking the first time since 2013 that Chaminade will have men's runners in the regional.
The races will be at the Ash Creek Preserve, a regular West Regional course that last hosted the regional in 2021. It was also the site of the 2019 race where Albertson competed.
The women's 6-kilometer race will begin at 7 a.m. Hawai'i time followed by the men's 10-k, scheduled to start 75 minutes later.
"It is my earnest hope that both the exposure and the experience they gain at the regionals will be invaluable in proving that with diligence and determination, each of them has the potential to compete at the highest level."
The top three finishing teams in each regional are automatic qualifiers to the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Joplin, Missouri, on Nov. 18. Ten at-large teams, regardless of region, will be selected by the NCAA Division II Cross Country Committee to participate in the championships.
Also, the top two individuals who are not part of a qualifying team will automatically advance to the NCAA Championships. In addition, all individuals who finish in the top five at the regional and not part of a qualifying team will also gain automatic qualifying status for the championships.
