SAN LEANDRO, Calif. – Azusa Pacific cross country competed at the PacWest Championships on Saturday morning, and the Cougars took second in both the men's 8K and the women's 6K.

WOMEN'S 6K

Despite running without one of their top runners due to injury (Justine Stecko), the women's team put together an impressive showing in the 6K. Out in front, the Cougars were led by Eline Pinter, Leia Jones and Briseida Garcia Meza, as the trio each finished in the top five to earn First Team All-PacWest distinction.

Pinter was the first Cougar to finish, as she was second overall with a time of 21:28.0. "Eline fought wisely up front," said head coach Sean Smith, "She made a big move with 300 to go to take the lead, but she was passed right at the line. It was a nail biter." Garcia Meza was the fourth place finisher overall at a time of 21:35.4, and Jones was right behind her in fifth at 21:36.3. "Both Bri and Leia were so focused today, and they crushed it," said Smith. For Garcia Meza, it is the second consecutive season in which she earned First Team All-PacWest recognition, as she finished fifth at last year's PacWest Championships.

Maylea Brawner and Kristilyn Hetherington were the fourth and fifth finishers for Azusa Pacific, with Brawner crossing the line at No. 22 with a race of 22:40.1, and Hetherington was 25th, posting a time of 22:51.1. "Maylea and Kristilyn did a great job of being steady and consistent today," said Smith. 

Rounding out the Cougars' seven scoring positions was Sofia Vasquez (29th - 23:08.7) and Cadence Youngman (36th - 23:29.4).

The Cougars finished with 52 points, which was 16 points off of first place Biola, and 24 points better than third place Concordia. Azusa Pacific averaged 22:03, with a team time of 1:50:11. The Cougars' second place finish is the program's best since 2018.

"The ladies ran really well today," said Smith, "Without Justine, we knew that we needed everyone to execute. I am really proud of our ladies. This puts us in a good position going into regionals."

MEN'S 8K

The Cougars, who entered Saturday's race ranked atop the PacWest, came up just one point shy of capturing the program's first ever PacWest Championship, finishing with 42 points while Biola captured the title with 41 points. "This one stings," said Smith, "We always want to post about the good races and things we win in sport, but being open about frustration is probably a bigger side of things. I am really disappointed, and the guys are mad."

The Cougars' top five finishers were Nixon Korir (5th - 24:33.6), Salvador Capetillo (6th - 24:41.7), Felix Perrier (9th - 24:55.2), Dider Sandoval (10th - 24:58.7) and Riley Burns (12th - 25:04.7). Korir and Capetillo were First Team All-PacWest performers, while Perrier, Sandoval and Burns earned spots on the All-PacWest Second Team.

Rounding out the Cougars' seven scoring positions were Michael Schneider (32nd - 26:04.0) and Eric Perez (34th - 26:10.0). 

The Cougars averaged a time of 24:51, with a total team time of 2:04:14. "It was a tough course, and we saw the wheels fall off in the last 800m," said Smith, "This will be fuel going into regionals. We are trusting the process and learning from the tough days."

Up Next: Regionals is up next for Azusa Pacific, where the women's team will look to continue to build on the momentum from today's race, while the men's team will be eager to get back on the course and bounce back in a big way from this morning's result. Regionals will be held in Billings, Montana on Saturday, November 19.