WALLA WALLA, WA — Melissa Cerrillos and Rachael Dela Cruz led the University of La Verne women's cross country team with All-Region finishes at the 2018 NCAA West Regionals Saturday morning. 

Cerrillos paced the Leopards with a personal record of 22:38.7, placing her ninth overall. As one of the top-seven finishers outside of the qualifying teams, Cerrillos earns a spot at the NCAA Championships. This is Cerrillos third-straight All-Region performance and her first time qualifying for nationals. 

From the Coach

"I'm really proud of everything that these women have accomplished this year," said head coach Justin Wood. "We earned our first top-10 ranking in the region, two all-SCIAC honors, two all-region honors, and a national qualifier. The future is bright for La Verne cross country and we'll continue to set a high expectation for performance during the championship season." 

Dela Cruz also ran a personal record on her way to earning her first All-Region honors. The senior finished 24th overall with a time of 23:04.3.

Ashley Garnica was the next finisher for La Verne, clocking in with a time of 25:53.3. Jesja Pham, Reiko Fujimoto, and Yasmin Lopez all ran personal bests. The trio finished with times of 26:00.9, 26:07.2, and 26:08.9 respectively. Michelle Suarez clocked in at 26:11.6.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps won the team portion and Helen Guo of Pomona-Pitzer was the top individual. The Athenas and Sagehens earn automatic team bids to nationals.

Next Race

Cerrillos will run next at the NCAA Championships on Saturday, November 17 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.