Simon Fraser University's cross country teams ended their 2025 season on a high note at the NCAA West Region Championships in Monmouth, Oregon, on November 9. With sunshine and dry conditions replacing the often muddy conditions of past meets, SFU's runners took full advantage of the fast course to post some of their best results of the year.

Leading the way for the women, Rachael Watkins delivered a standout performance, running with the lead pack and beating some of her toughest competitors. Her effort earned her a personal best by more than 20 seconds and a fifth-place finish overall, securing a return trip to the NCAA nationals.

Veronica Dee and Steph Millar also posted major breakthroughs, each cutting more than 20 seconds from their best times. Despite recent illness, Raiya Matonovich fought hard to help the women's team place ninth out of 30 teams.

On the men's side, Benjamin Schoening paced SFU with a smart, steady race – his first 10K after recovering from sickness earlier in the season. Seniors Braden Ahl and Jacob Wadhwani closed their collegiate cross-country careers with their strongest runs of the year, while first-years Peter Kunka and Maverik Rahkola impressed in their first 10K outings, helping the men finish 12th overall.

"I'm very proud of the resilience our cross country teams showed," said Head Coach Brit Townsend. "Many have injured sickness, and we've had some major setbacks in our travel. Today was a great day with many personal bests amongst the group."

"Both teams have incredible freshmen returning next year, and Rachael will lead the group again at nationals. She's determined to improve in her placing from last year and repeat as an All-American."