PacWest Women's Cross Country Championship Results
PacWest Men's Cross Country Championship Results

HILO, Hawai'i -- The 2016 Pacific West Conference Cross Country Championships might have been more aptly named the Big Island Mud Run, as the wet, muddy conditions contributed to a championship course which was as challenging physically as it was mentally for Azusa Pacific, which collected a third-place men's team finish along with a fifth-place women's team finish.

Both Cougar teams produced All-PacWest first team performers, with junior Jeremy Porter repeating his fourth-place overall finish from last year's conference championship meet while defending women's conference champion Eileen Stressling took fifth place overall. Both teams return to action in two weeks for the NCAA Division II West Regional Cross Country Championships in Billings, Montana.

Porter ran the muddy 8k course in 27:32.09, finishing 42 seconds off the championship pace of Josh Thorson, who claimed the individual men's title for Academy of Art. Fellow junior Cody Drisko added All-PacWest second team honors by finishing 14th overall with a time of 28:28.91, while senior Aaron Potts placed 26th overall with a time of 29:28.08.

Sophomore Jake Kleist was the Cougars' fourth finisher, placing 31st overall with a time of 29:44.69, while freshman Kurt Hake rounded out the team's top-five by placing 55th overall (31:37.12). As a team, Azusa Pacific scored 121 points to edge Fresno Pacific by a margin of just four points for third place, finishing behind first-place California Baptist and second-place Academy of Art.

Also gaining his first conference championship meet experience was freshman Alex Nienaber who placed 62nd overall (32:22.17). Matt Espinoza wrapped up the group with a by placing 74th overall (35:01.51)

Stressling was Azusa Pacific's top finisher in the women's race, and she claimed fourth overall with a time of 23:39.67 after winning the individual title at the 2015 conference championship meet. Sophomore Elise Larson was the second-highest Azusa Pacific finisher, clocking 24:47.68 to finish in 16th place and earn All-PacWest third team honors.

The Cougars were edged out for a top-four finish by Hawai'i Pacific by a margin of only one point, scoring 116 points while HPU tallied 115 and Academy of Art sat just two spots higher with 112 points. California Baptist claimed the women's team championship, and Point Loma took second place.

Freshmen Kristi Capello and Belle Moran finished only one second apart, with Capello taking 33rd overall (25:54.71) while Moran was 34th with a time of 25:55.70. Sophomore Taylor Hurlock was another four spots back, placing 38th with a time of 26:07.19. Freshman Annie Ware added a 47th place performance (26:44.68), and Brooke Caravello claimed 52nd overall with a time of 27:18.80. Cindy Carabes also competed in the race, placing 61st overall with a time of 27:45.15.