PORTLAND, Ore. - Riley Capuano was the individual champion in a time of 20:54.1 and the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's cross country team edged Colorado College by just one point (61 to 62) to capture the NCAA West Regional Championship and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships next Saturday. 

Capuano earned the individual title with a time of 20:54.1, winning by 6.5 seconds over Riley Buese of host Lewis & Clark. She finished second a year ago to teammate Natalie Bitetti, before Bitetti came in second at nationals and Capuano finished 11th to help CMS to a fourth-place team finish. 

Sadie Drucker was the second Athena to cross the line in 21:12.1, finishing fifth overall. Angie Gushue earned a top-10 finish by coming in ninth with a time of 21:29.5, edging out Alison Mueller-Hickler of Colorado College by 1.8 seconds, which ended up swinging the team championship to the Athenas. 

Revere Schmidt was 13th with a time of 21:38.8, and Olivia Backholm was the fifth and final scorer for the Athenas in 22:23.5, finishing 1.9 seconds ahead of Chloe Connolly of Pomona-Pitzer for the decisive point in the team competition in 33rd, which earned her All-Region honors.

Sally Gaskell was 43rd and Olivia Smith 50th, as all seven Athenas in the competition finished in the top third out of a 174 runner-field representing 25 teams. 

CMS earned its 16th straight team qualification to nationals, dating back to 2008. The Athenas will head to nationals next week trying for its fourth straight top 10 finish, after theu came in second in 2021, 10th in 2022, and fourth last year.