SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Azusa Pacific cross country took to the course for the second time this season at the Cougar Challenge, and once again, Nixon Korir highlighted an impressive showing by both squads. The men's team took second place in the 8K, and the women finished third in the 6K. 

MEN'S 8K

Nixon Korir won his second consecutive race of the season, as he crossed the line at a time of 24:16.6, beating the runner up by three seconds. Not only did Korir win the race, but his time set a new course record and personal record in the 8K. At the second split, Korir was in 13th, and by the time of the third split, he had worked up nine spots into fourth place, before overtaking the lead over the final leg of the race. "Nixon is such a savvy runner," said head coach Sean Smith, "He looked great today… he was patient and controlled throughout, and he turned in a dominant performance amongst a very competitive and talented field."

Korir was joined in the top-5 by Salvador Capetillo, who made his Azusa Pacific debut this morning. Capetillo placed fourth overall, as he moved up six spots from 10th at the third split, and he finished with a time of 24:26.1. "Salvador started out more conservative and in the back today," said Smith, "He was a second half racer, as he just started to work his way up and pick people off. I was really proud of his effort today… This was his first race in about four years, and he ran in such a smart fashion."

Dider Sandoval was the Cougars' third finisher, as he was just outside of the top-10 runners at No. 12. Sandoval ran a time of 24:41.8, as he maintained his pace and position among the top-15 for the majority of the race. "This year, Dider has been very consistent for us, in both workouts and races," said Smith, "it has been great to see that from him."

Felix Perrier, who also ran for the first time in a Cougar uniform, finished 28th (25:22.1), and right behind him in 29th was Riley Burns (25:27.4).

Michael Schneider was the Cougars' sixth finisher at No. 40, posting a time of 25:44.7. Eric Perez rounded out the scoring group, crossing the line in 63rd (26:09.9).

The Cougars finished with 70 points, with a team time of 2:04:14, and an average race time of 24:51. Azusa Pacific held off the third place team of Pomona-Pitzer (No. 1 in NCAA Division III) by seven points, and the fourth place team of Cal Poly Pomona (Ranked No. 17 nationally in Division II). The lone team to beat the Cougars was Chico State, which is ranked No. 5 in the country and No. 1 in the West region.

"The guys mixed it up really well today," said Coach Smith, "They were patient in the early going, they focused on being in control to start and then steadily worked their way up throughout the race."

WOMEN'S 6K

Eline Pinter and Justine Stecko led the way for the Cougars in the 6K, with the duo each finishing within the top-6 runners. Running for the first time at Azusa Pacific, Pinter placed fourth overall with a time of 21:18.0. Stecko was the sixth-overall finisher, running a time of 21:28.7. Both Pinter and Stecko maintained their positions among the leaders for the entirety of the race, as neither were outside the top-6 at any of the splits throughout the race. "Seeing Eline and Justine open up at No. 1 and No. 2 for us is exactly what we thought we would see," said Smith, "Both of them looked great today and I am eager to see what they are going to do this season."

For the second consecutive race, Leia Jones was impressive for the Cougars, as the true freshman slowly worked her way up through the race to finish 10th overall. Jones was 28th at the first split, 16th at the second split, and then gained five more spots over the final portion of the race and finished with a time of 21:43.3. "Leia has run two really smart races so far, which is something you do not often see from freshman due to the change in the level of competition," said Smith, "It has been encouraging to see the way in which she has approached her races so far this year." Briseida Garcia Meza rounded out the Cougars' group of four that finished within the top-15 spots, as she moved up from 22nd at the second split to finish 15th with a time of 21:51.5. 

Azusa Pacific's No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7 runners were Sofia Vasquez (32nd - 22:36.4), Maia Fernando (39th - 22:47.2), and Maylea Brawner (40th - 22:48.4). Brawner turned in a huge effort down the stretch, as she moved up 22 spots from 62nd at the second split to close the race out.

"Today we had a pack of freshman and sophomores that have been crushing it and just been consistent for us," said Smith, "Sofia had a breakout race today, and it was great to see her do things at a high level today. Maia, Maylea and Grace (Echelbarger) were right there as well, and it was great to see them work together."

The Cougars finished with 67 points, and they had a team time of 1:48:58, and an average race time of 21:48. "I was very proud of the women's effort today," said Smith, "They handed it to some really good teams, and it was also a good sign to see us not far off from teams like Chico State and Stanislaus State, who are some of the best teams in the region and in the nation."

Up Next: The Cougars will have a little under one month to prepare for their next race, which will be on Saturday, October 15 at the Highlander Classic in Riverside, Calif. The Highlander Classic will be the final regular season meet, with the PacWest Championships set to follow on Saturday, November 5 in San Leandro, Calif.