Two Pirates earn all-region

Christiana Anderson, a Whitworth sophomore from Northwest Christian, and freshman Chris MacMurray earned All-West Region honors for their performances in the NCAA Division III West Region Cross Country Championships on Saturday in Independence, Ore.

Anderson finished 27th in the women’s 6k race, timing 22 minutes, 25.71 seconds, and MacMurray was 35th in the men’s 8k race in 25:43.76. Both were the first Pirates to finish. The men placed ninth and the women 10th.

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association bestows all-region honors on the first 35 finishers.

Men’s soccer

Washington (12-4-3), runner-up in the Pac-12, will play host to Air Force in the first round of the NCAA Division I tournament at 10 p.m. Thursday.

It is the 19th NCAA appearance for the Huskies men, who lost just one conference game.

Pac-12 champion and sixth-seeded UCLA has a first-round bye and will entertain the San Diego-Cal State Northridge winner in the second round.

Arena football

Pass-rushing linebacker Beau Bell, whose 2012 season was interrupted by an injury and his departure to the training camp of the CFL’s BC Lions, will be back for a third season with the Spokane Shock.