Dunbar qualifies for Nationals (Running)
Kodiak’s Trevor Dunbar helped the University of Portland cross country team earn a second-place finish at the NCAA Division I West Region Championships, upsetting two-time defending national champion Oregon in the process.
More importantly, the runner-up result earned the Pilots an automatic qualifying berth to the NCAA Championships.
The Alaskan earned all-region honors by placing 12th out of 182 men with a 10-K time of 31 minutes. Chris Derrick of No. 1-ranked Stanford won in 30:38.
Dunbar, just a freshman, was third on his team, which had all seven runners finish in the top 76.
“The guys did a nice job of executing our race plan and finishing hard over the last half of the race,” Portland coach Rob Conner told the team’s Web site. “The fact that we have five freshmen and a sophomore going made it even more impressive. Usually it’s hard to get the younger guys to be patient.”
The NCAA Championships are Monday, Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind.
Last year, Portland matched its best-ever team finish with a seventh-place showing.
