IRVINE, Calif. — Just 20 minutes after the men's team secured their second consecutive PacWest Championship, led by Jared Wright's individual victory, the women took the course with confidence and excitement. Once again, Jessica (Kampman) Walczak led the way, clinching first place and becoming only the second individual champion in the program's history. Meanwhile, the women finished second overall, placing three in All-Conference contention and finishing with 97 points overall.

Walczak approached the 6k race with patience, strategically making her move in the second mile. She steadily extended her lead, crossing the finish line as the outright champion. With this victory, she joins Azusa Pacific legend Eileen Stressling, who won the title in 2015 and 2018.

"Jessica ran very controlled and patient," said head coach Jebreh Harris following the race. "We have not seen her let it all go, nor has it been time to do that. Jessica loves to race, run,and enjoys competition. I knew she was the favorite coming in, so we wanted to use that to our advantage with our approach. It got us the win for the day and we will accept it."

Following Walczak was Sophia Godina, who earned All-Conference honors with a strong 15th-place finish. Her time of 21:51 was just one second shy of her personal best from the UC Riverside Invitational a month earlier.

Sofia Vasquez also made her mark, securing her second consecutive All-Conference honor with a 19th-place finish, improving from her 21st place last year at the Conference Championship.

Justine Stecko finished fourth for the Cougars in 26th place with a time of 22:26, closely followed by Grace Echelbarger, who achieved a career-best time of 22:49, placing 37th overall.

Rounding out the Cougars' lineup were Ella Benjamin (57th - 24:12) and Janelle Santos (60th - 24:21).

"I love the energy and camaraderie we brought today," said head coach Harris after the race. "It takes a team to push the ball forward. That's what drove our athletes today—positive energy and love for each other. This is the culture we strive for. Achieving this takes continuous effort, but we are up for the challenge."

Harris added, "While times and rankings matter, today we raced together and for each other. I'm thrilled for us."

Up Next: Azusa Pacific will send a squad to the NCAA West Regional meet in Billings, Montana, in two weeks as they look ahead to the NCAA Championships in Sacramento less than a month away.