BELMONT, CALIF. (October 30) -- Portland swept the West Coast Conference men's and women's cross country championships for the fourth year in a row and the Pilot men, ranked #20 in the nation, captured their 21st consecutive WCC crown. The women earned their fourth consecutive title. USF's Roxie Jahani placed 13th in the women's portion and Rob Witowski finished 37th.

The Pilot men swept the top five places for the fifth year in a row, placing all seven runners on the All-WCC list. The UP women also placed all seven on the All-WCC team.

MEN'S COURSE RECORD FOR PORTLAND'S DRISCOLL
Portland junior Joe Driscoll established a new course record, edging teammate and 1997 WCC champion Bryan Bothwell at the finish line for an 8K time of 24:53. Driscoll, from Bremerton, Wash., ran stride for stride with Bothwell (24:54) throughout the race. Both runners were under the previous conference and course record of 24:56 set by UP's Todd Davis last year.

Saint Mary's finished second in the men's race, the best-ever showing for the Gaels. SMC's previous best was a fifth-place effort in 1998.

PORTLAND WOMEN WIN, PEPPERDINE'S FREEBURY WINNER
Portland captured the team title, placing all seven runners in the top ten, and Pepperdine senior Rebecca Freebury won the individual title by touring the 5K course in 18:18. The individual crown was the second in history for a Pepperdine runner with Freebury's title the first since Kim McElhinney in 1989.

The Pilots' team title was the 11th in school history and the fourth in a row. Pepperdine's second-place showing was the school's best since 1993. Santa Clara with San Diego tied for third place, the best effort by the Broncos since 1991.

SMC'S RAU, PEPPERDINE'S KAMPMANN COACHES OF THE YEAR
On the strength of the best finishes in several years by their teams, Saint Mary's head coach Randy Rau and Pepperdine's Dick Kampmann earned the WCC Coach of the Year honors. SMC's men, the 1999 runners-up, hadn't placed better than fifth before. The PEP women, also in second, was their best since 1993.

FRESHMEN OF THE YEAR
Santa Clara's Jenny Smokey, who finished 11th at 19:41, and Portland's Kevin Smith, 7th in the men's race at 26:01, are the 1999 WCC Freshmen of the Year.