Seattle, Wash. –– At Friday's NCAA West Regionals held at Jefferson Golf Course in Seattle, Wash. the USF men's cross country team placed 11th overall, scoring 273 team points in the 30-team field. 

The Dons, competing in extremely muddy conditions, were once again led by All-West Coast Conference performer Alex Short, who finished 15th with a time of 31:26.2. Short was the first WCC member to finish the course and his top 25 performance clinched his place on the All-West Region team. The top 10 was comprised of all Pac-12 schools, with Oregon, Washington, Washington State, Stanford and UCLA all turning in strong performances.

After Short, Ryan Driscoll was the next Don to cross the finish line, taking 41st with a time of 31:57.5. Matt Leach (32:22.0) and Mohamed Aziz (32:21.5) followed up Driscoll, placing 61st and 64th respectively. Quentin Purtzer took 93rd place with a time of 32:57.4 and Edward Shepherd finished shortly after in 123rd in 33:46.9. Freshman Caleb McClain finished the course in 34:11.6 to take 145th place overall. 

"The conditions were brutal by the time the men's team started and although we were expecting a higher team finish, I think our men's team competed well today," said cross country coach Helen Lehman-Winters.

Washington took home the region championship with a total score of 63, followed by Stanford (83) and Oregon (99). Individually, Oregon's Edward Cheserek won the 10K race with a time of 30:43.2. Washington and Stanford automatically qualified for NCAA Championships with their strong showings.

On Saturday, the NCAA will announce which teams, along with individual qualifiers, will receive an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 21 in Louisville, KY. Please stay tuned to @DonsXCTF and @DonsAthletics on Twitter to find out which Dons qualified for the NCAA Championships next Saturday.

USF's Results
Short (15th - 31:26.2)
Driscoll (41st - 31:57.5)
Leach (61st - 32:20.0)
Aziz (64th - 32:21.5)
Purtzer (93rd - 32:57.4)
McClain (145th - 34:11.6)