BELMONT, Calif. - The University of Portland Pilots continued their dominance of the WCC cross country championships by capturing both the men’s and women’s titles on Saturday morning at Crystal Springs Course in Belmont, CA.

"The team did a great job," said head coach Rob Conner. "They have been working extremely hard and it really showed today. It was a very convincing victory.

"Nick (Schuetze) is the first two-time conference champion in 12 years. He won the title as a freshman and now as a senior. He ran a very smart race, running with the pack for the first 4 miles then dropped the hammer over the last 1000 meters.

"(John) Hoeck has been running very well so it doesn't suprise me that he earned the 'Freshman of the Year' award," notes Conner. "He has a great base and hasn't faltered at all the entire season.

"I have a very good feeling about where the team is at right now," continues Conner. "I think we are really coming together at the right time. We have been flying under the radar for most of the season but I am certain we will really turn heads at the regional meet in two weeks."

Led by senior Nick Schuetze, Pilot runners captured six of the top 10 men’s spots to collect 19 points for the win, while the Pilot women, led by freshman Amie Dahnke, also captured six of the top 10 spots, tallying 28 overall points.

The win marked Portland’s 26th consecutive men’s team championship and the 26th time that a Pilot runner has captured top individual honors. For the Pilot women, the championship marked their third consecutive title and their 15th overall.

Gonzaga captured second place on the men’s side for the second consecutive year, totaling 66 points, followed by Santa Clara (105) in third, Loyola Marymount (107) in fourth, San Francisco (109) in fifth, San Diego (168) in sixth, and Saint Mary’s (185) and Pepperdine (188) in seventh and eighth, respectively.

On the women’s side, San Francisco captured second place with a score of 81, followed by Gonzaga (102), Santa Clara (104), San Diego (110), Loyola Marymount (130), Pepperdine (141), and Saint Mary’s (249).

Dahnke became the first freshman since 1990 and the first Portland runner since 2000 to win the women’s individual race, crossing the finish line with a time of 17:40, the second fastest time in WCC history. Dahnke’s time also represents Portland’s fastest time at the WCC championship in program history.

Jeannine Hagedorn paced San Francisco with a second place finish with a time of 18:01. Hagedorn’s time marked the fastest time by a Dons’ runner in the championship in program history, and the seventh fastest time in WCC history.

Alison Ritchie of Portland finished third with a time of 18:09, followed by Tiffanie Marley (18:17), last year’s individual winner, and Cassandra Chavez (18:18) of San Diego. Rounding out the top 10 was Gonzaga’s Jill Semenza (18:27) in sixth, followed by Portland’s Cristen Rohde (18:36), Kelsey Metcalfe (18:46), Breanne Siebol (18:57), and Rachel Berchtold (18:58).

Schuetze, the 2001 men’s individual champion finished in a time of 25:30, just ahead of teammate Brett Carter, last year’s individual champion, who crossed the finish line with a time of 25:32. Gonzaga’s Joe Miller (25:33) took home third, followed by Portland’s John Hoeck (25:35) and Matt Perez (25:56). Rounding out the top 10 was San Francisco’s Cheyne Inman (26:00) in sixth, Portland’s Chris Olinger (26:01) in seventh, Gonzaga’s Ryan Anderson (26:03) and Joe Manning (26:07) in eighth and ninth, and Portland’s Brendan Robinson (26:17) in 10th.

San Francisco made the greatest improvement, with its second place finish on the women’s side and its fifth place finish on the men’s side. The women’s finish was the Dons’ best-ever, while the men’s finish was their best since 1983. Inman’s time of 26:00 marked the fastest time by a Dons’ men’s runner in WCC history.

Portland’s Dahnke and Hoeck took home 2004 Freshman of the Year honors for being the top finisher among all freshmen.