Pacific University runner and Bothell resident Stephenie Spencer has earned a spot to compete in the 2015 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday.

Spencer finished eighth during Saturday’s NCAA West Region Championships in Claremont, Calif. and has earned an at-large spot in the meet in Winneconne, Wis.

She is the first Pacific female runner to gain the bid since Rachel Schreiber in 2012.

The race will be held at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne, starting at 9 a.m. Pacific time. The meet is hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

“It will be exciting to see her compete in a larger field of talented runners,” said Spencer’s coach Matt Lydum. “She is hungry to race at that level and ready to compete.”

Spencer will join a large field of the nation’s top runners that will include the team of Willamette, who won the west region team title. Whitworth, who finished third, received an at-large berth. The only other individual to earn a spot besides Spencer was Linfield’s Kaelia Neal.

On Saturday, the sophomore ran the six kilometer course in 22-minutes, 12.84-seconds.

“Stephenie competed brilliantly,” Lydum said. “She executed a very competitive and tactical race.”