MONMOUTH, Ore. --- The Eagles will be back in action on Saturday as they hit the course at Ash Creek Preserve for the NCAA DII West Regional Championships. Both teams will be looking for a top spot in the crucial event, as they sit firmly in the top six in the regional rankings.

Head coach Sean Henning and the teams have their priorities set heading into the weekend, "Most importantly, my hope is that both teams finish each race feeling satisfied and fulfilled and believe they maximized the gift they have been given by God in the way they competed."

The West Region boasts a slew of great teams, including five women's teams and four men's teams ranked in the national poll. "There are some really strong teams in the region who will undoubtedly compete at a high level," said Henning.

In the previous regional championships, in 2019, the BU men's cross country squad finished sixth and earned a spot in the national championship race. The regional competition is the first race of the season for Biola in which the team will run a 10k instead of the typical 8k distance.

The team is coming off a third place finish at the PacWest Championships, as they fell to Fresno Pacific and Azusa Pacific. " It has definitely been an up-and-down year for them. They have battled through adversity and I'm so proud of them for managing things well and showing such great resilience," added Henning.

The group of runners will rely on seasoned veterans and new faces to get the job done this weekend. Angel Escobar (24th), Brady DeHaven (34th) and Jared Donnel (65th) all competed at the 2019 West Region Championships for the Eagles, helping the team to sixth place. Newcomers, Ronald Kigen and Jerry Baltzer, were the top scorers for BU in the PacWest Championship race and will look to build off that momentum on Saturday.

"The men are capable of doing phenomenal things when they execute to the best of their ability. We are hoping to put it all together on the right day," commented Henning. "I like the opportunity we have and we plan on asserting ourselves in the race and running like we are one of the best teams in the region."

"On the women's side, we are excited to race," added Henning. "The girls have been on an upward trajectory the second half of the season and continue to impress in workouts and the way they carry themselves as a team."

The women's cross country squad looked great in its previous race at the PacWest Championship in Kahuku, Hawaii. The team nabbed second place and was one point shy of first place. The stellar finish helped the Eagles move up to fifth in the final USTFCCCA West Region Rankings.

PacWest Freshman of the Year Lynette Ruiz has made an immediate impact for the Eagles, pacing the squad in each race this season. The young talent posted top-10 finishes in three competitions, including a second place finish at the PacWest Championships. 

Familiar faces include Mackenna Mason (25th) and Grace Catena (61st), who each competed at the 2019 NCAA DII West Region Championship for the Eagles. Upperclassmen, Daisy Romero, Jax Heckers and Megan Neumann, will also look to make their presence felt on Saturday, following top-15 performances at the PacWest Championship two weeks ago.

"We are going in with the goal of finishing in the top three and earning an automatic bid to nationals," said Henning. " We believe we are in the same category of the strong competition in the region and if we focus on the things we can control, execute a good race plan, and give great effort we will be in the mix."

Western Oregon will play host for the weekend race in Monmouth, Oregon. The women's race is set to start at 10:00 am and the men's race is set to begin at approximately 11:15 am.