NEWBERG — The Willamette University women picked up their seventh-consecutive title Saturday at the Northwest Conference Track and Field Championships, while the men were unable to capitalize on their status as favorites.

"We got another conference title for the program and maybe the men will rise to the occasion next year," Willamette coach Matt McGuirk said. "Our men were in a three-team battle and some guys in other uniforms just stepped it up a little bit."

The Bearcats women were in a somewhat unfamiliar position coming into the day, as host George Fox was considered a contender for the title.

"If you looked at it on paper it was almost even so we had to have a lot of things happen," McGuirk said.

But Willamette's strong distance runners quickly eliminated the doubt.

Willamette senior Jena Winger was named woman's athlete of the meet after winning three individual titles, including a 1-2 finish with teammate Carly Killam in the 1,500 meters.

"That was exactly what we wanted," Winger said of the race. "We're in a really tough team race, and that's what this is all about for us is getting points for the team. George Fox is really supposed to win today so we just wanted to get as many points as we can."

Winger was the symbol of Willamette's fortunes. Last year, she won the 3,000 meter steeplechase on the first day only to come back too sore on the second day to win her events.

This year, she won the steeplechase and the 1,500 and 5,000 meter events Saturday.

"This season, I've been a lot stronger overall," Winger said. "I haven't really had a bad race yet this season. I'm kind of scared for when it's going to come, but hopefully it isn't."

The Bearcats would cruise to a 43-point victory against the Bruins, 224.5 to 181.5, capped off by a victory in the 4x400 relay.

Senior Jordyn Smith, who also won the 800 meters, took the lead in the third leg and Lydia Marsalli lost and then retook the lead on the final leg. The Bearcats would take the event by four-tenths of a second.

"I came to tears," said Smith on watching Marsalli come back. "I knew she would pull it off.

"We knew coming in it was going to be a close race to the finish, but I knew deep down we were going to pull it off," she said. "That's what Willamette track and field does."

Whitworth won the men's title, with Linfield in second and Willamette in third.

The Bearcats' last gasp came in the men's 5,000 meters.

Ian Batch led four Willamette runners in the top five. The senior kept the pace slower to make sure that he and his teammates could bunch up near the front.

"I knew I had the best kick in the race, so I wanted to keep the race as slow as possible to keep as many of my teammates in the race as possible and just give it all I've got in the end," Batch said. "I just want to look back and say I did all I could do to try and win the team title."

In the end, it came down to unexpected performances in each race to win the titles, McGuirk said.

The Willamette women benefited from a win in the 10,000 meters from Sarah Zerzan, who came back early from a foot injury to pick up points for the team.

"Those types of kids and those types of performances were what separated us and Whitworth," McGuirk said. "They went out and did better than anybody expected."

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