The Cal State San Marcos men's cross country team will compete in the NCAA West Regional on Saturday morning in Monmouth, Oregon. The women's 6K race will begin at 10 a.m. followed by the men's 10K race at 11:15 a.m. at Western Oregon's Ash Creek Preserve. RACE 7 | NCAA WEST REGIONAL Date Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021 Race Start Times Women's 6K Invite - 10 a.m. Men's 10K Invite - 11:15 a.m. Location Monmouth, Oregon Course Ash Creek Preserve 6K Course Map 10K Course Map Live Scoring Athletic Timing Live Video Youtube COVID-19 Policy See the WOU Department of Athletics' COVID-19 policy. NCAA WEST REGIONAL BREAKDOWN Western Oregon will host the NCAA West Regional for the fourth time since 2015. In 2019, CSUSM finished third out of 28 teams to claim the final automatic bid to the NCAA National Championships. Joshua Litwiller made history that season, becoming CSUSM's first NCAA Division II West Regional champion. Chico State has won five consecutive NCAA West Region crowns and 16 in the last 19 seasons. Competing for CSUSM at the NCAA West Regionals will be Trevor Boaz, Dylan Brown, Kibrom Elias, Mitch Machuca, Nick Melanese, Ruben Piña, and Shea Vavra. A total of 34 teams from around the country will get the chance to compete for the national cross country crown on Saturday, Nov. 20 at The Abbey Course in St. Leo, Florida. The top three teams in each of the eight regional championships held throughout the nation Saturday will earn automatic bids to the finals, with ten additional teams selected as at-large bids by the NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country Committee. There is no limit to the number of at-large teams that may be selected from any given region. After the 34 selected teams have been determined, a minimum 24 additional individuals are selected to compete at the NCAA Championships. The top two individuals who are not part of a qualifying team will automatically advance to the championship, while all individuals who finish in the top five at the regional meets and are not part of a qualifying team will automatically advance. Eight individual runners will be selected at-large, with no limit to the number of at-large individuals that may be chosen from the same region. The top 25 runners will be recognized as an All-West Region honoree. COUGAR OUTLOOK The Cougars return five runners from the 2019 season. Ten runners will be donning Cougar Blue for the first time this season with Alex Anderson and Dylan Brown being the lone true freshmen. The Cougars made their inaugural appearance at the NCAA Division II National Championships in 2019, taking home 12th place. CSUSM placed second at the 2019 CCAA Championships and third at the NCAA West Regional. The Cougars were picked third in the CCAA Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll. In the latest NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country West Region Rankings, as released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA), the Cougars are ranked No. 8. Chico State (CCAA) remains on top, followed by Western Washington (GNAC) and Simon Fraser (GNAC). No. 6 Stanislaus State is the only other CCAA school ranked above CSUSM. THE OLSEN FILE Head coach Torrey Olson begins his fourth season at the helm of the men's and women's track & field programs after taking over in the summer of 2018. In his first two seasons at the helm of the men's and women's cross country programs, the men's team claimed second in back-to-back appearances of the CCAA Championships while the women earned third and sixth. Olson came to CSUSM after spending three seasons as the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at the Academy of Art University where his teams earned 50-plus All-American honors. Olson served as the head cross country coach the previous three years at Academy of Art. In addition to the Academy of Art, Olson has also worked with the University of San Francisco and Pomona-Pitzer College. A graduate of Pomona College in 2009, Olson also holds an MFA from St. Mary's College (2012).