Tuesday, April 18, 2017

INDIANAPOLIS – Experience has made the difference for Montana State Billings and Western Oregon as both schools have been selected to host two NCAA Division II West Regional Cross Country Regional Championships meets in the next four-year championship cycle announced today by the NCAA.

Montana State Billings will host the regional meet in 2018 and 2020 at Amend Park in Billings. Western Oregon will host the 2019 and 2021 regional championships at the on-campus Ash Creek Preserve in Monmouth, Ore.

This marks the third and fourth time that the regional meet will be run in Billings. Montana State Billings hosted both the 2014 and 2016 meets.

“We are thrilled that MSUB and the city of Billings have been chosen to host this premier NCAA Division II event again,” said Montana State Billings athletic director Krista Montague. “It such an honor to help put our university, Billings and Montana in the spotlight with prestigious and highly competitve events such as these.”

Western Oregon hosted its first regional meet in 2015 as the Ash Creek Preserve and will host the 2017 regional. This is the fourth and fifth regional events awarded to the Wolves over the last three years. Western Oregon also hosted the 2016 Men’s Basketball West Regional after the Wolves were selected as the No. 1 seed that season.

“We are thrilled to be awarded the 2019 and 2021 West Regional Cross Country Championships,” said Western Oregon director of complaince and 2015 regional meet director Randi Lydum. “We have an amazing course and look forward to bringing the best runners in the West Region to Monmouth.”

The events at Montana State Billings are the only regional or national championships awarded to the state of Montana by the NCAA in the next four-year championships cycle.

The regionals at Western Oregon were two of five to be sited in the state of Oregon. Division I Women’s Basketball regionals will be held in Portland in 2019 and 2022 and the Division I Men’s Basketball first and second rounds return to Portland in 2022. All three will be hosted by Oregon State. In addition, OSU will host gymnastics regionals in Corvallis in 2019 and 2022. The University of Oregon will host the Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships through 2022.

The NCAA Championships Committee, which selected the regional and championships, includes two representatives from the GNAC: Alaska athletic director Gary Gray and Western Oregon athletic director Barb Dearing.

The sports information offices at Montana State Billings and Western Oregon contributed to this report.