JOPLIN, Mo. --- The PacWest Champions are headed to Nationals and are ready to make some noise on the big stage. The Eagles will see their second-straight appearance at the NCAA DII Women's Cross Country Championships on Saturday.

Missouri Southern State University will play host to the 6k race in Joplin, Missouri. The women will hit the course at 8:00 am PT.

The BU squad have high hopes for Saturday, after delivering a convincing performance at the NCAA DII West Region Championships two weeks ago. 

A second place team finish marked the best for the program at the regionals race with a team score of 86. The Eagles only trailed Western Washington by 11 points to go 1-2 in the west.

Susi Bruennig added to the impressive regionals performance with a second place individual finish to lead the Eagles on the day. The individual feat was the best for an Eagle at the west region championships, as Bruennig grabbed a personal-best time of 20:33.6 for her silver placement.

Biola will be at its second-straight nationals race, reaching 26th place in Washington last year. The team placed two individuals in the top 120, including Bethany Mapes and Lynette Ruiz. 

Both runners will be returning with the squad in 2023. Mapes took eighth at regionals on November 4, matching her placement in 2022. Ruiz grabbed 18th place at regionals two weeks ago, just behind teammate Britta Holmberg in 15th, who will look to have a big impact this weekend following a season of four top-15 showings.

The Eagles' traveling roster for nationals includes Karis Brown, Bruennig, Holmberg, Lolo Landrith, Mapes, Ruiz, Ellie Stetina, Ella Voris, and Hailey Wurzbach. Only seven will race on Saturday with two traveling as alternates.

The crew is led by head coach Sean Henning, who is in his seventh season at the helm. Over the last three years, Biola has corralled back-to-back PacWest Championships and three-consecutive top five finishes at regionals.

Live results and video will be available for Saturday's race via MSSU.