With the conclusion of the NCAA Championships less than two weeks ago, the PacWest announced their end of the season awards.

First year head coach Jebreh Harris was voted the Conference's Coach of the Year after leading the Men's Cross Country to its second consecutive PacWest title. Harris spent the last four years at the University of Southern California before being named the new head coach of the Cross Country team in August.

Under the leadership of Harris, the men's cross country team qualified for the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships after the Cougars earned fifth at the NCAA West Regionals and earned an at-large bid to Nationals. It was just the third time in Azusa Pacific's NCAA era in which it has sent a cross country team to Nationals. At Nationals, the Cougars went on to place 19th overall, their second-best finish ever.

Along with seven All-PacWest finishers, Harris also had three athletes earn All-West Region distinction this season as Jared Wright, Felix Perrier, and Riley Burns each finished among the top-25 at Regionals.

Azusa Pacific Athletic Director Gary Pine had this to say about Harris' accomplishments this season: "I'm really proud of what Jebreh has done on such short notice. He was hired a week before fall training started, and yet he implemented his philosophy, got buy-in from both teams, and the Cougars excelled under his leadership.  To win the men's PacWest title and coach the PacWest women's individual champion are two significant feathers in any coaches' cap.  I'm looking forward to his continued impact as he gets more time in the program."

"Coach Harris has done a remarkable job with APU Cross Country," said head Track and Field Coach Jack Hoyt. "It was clear that he really cared about this group and poured all of his time, energy, and passion into the season. I can't wait to see what the future holds!"

In his final season of cross country, Jared Wright earned PacWest Runner of the Year.

Wright has been a consistent force for the Cougars all season long, even opening the season by finishing first overall at the Irvine Invitational. Then, at the PacWest Championships in October, Wright won the individual crown in the Men's 8k to become the first individual champion in program history. Then, just two weeks later, he finished third overall at the Regional Championships to earn a spot at his third consecutive NCAA Championships.

Finishing 71st overall, Wright was the top PacWest finisher at the NCAA Champions which was the end of the road for his remarkable cross country career.

"Jared, one of our captains, has been a dynamic leader for our program all year," said Harris. "He has stepped up to every challenge that has been presented to him this season. Jared "figures it out" in the heat of the battle and that is what champions do. He leads by example with his energy and leads with his performance day in and out in training and competitions. We are happy and proud that Jared has been selected to receive this award."

Wright closed out his collegiate career as a 2024 PacWest Individual and Team Champion, a three-time All-Region runner, advanced to the National meet three of his four seasons, and capped it off with a prolific PacWest Runner of the Year title.

Earning Newcomer of the Year was Kyle Galinis, a recent transfer from Chabot College.

The junior from NorCal has been a consistent contributor to the team which went on to claim a top-20 finish in his first year with the program. He was a top five scorer in three of the team's five races including the West Regionals, UC Riverside Invitational, and the Irvine Invitational to open the season. As a member of the PacWest Championship team, he also finished 15th overall, earning Third Team honors.

"Kyle has been a steady contributor for our team," added Harris. "Kyle shows up every day in training wanting to improve and ready to learn how to better himself. Kyle is a positive representation for himself and his team that appreciates him. A new team that has welcomed him wholeheartedly as a newcomer and embraced him as a brother. We are proud to have Kyle represent us with this award."

Here is the complete list of Cougars who earned a spot on the 2024 All-PacWest Men's Cross Country Team:
Jared Wright: First Team and Individual crown
Felix Perrier: First Team
Riley Burns: First Team
Michael Schneider: Second Team
Dider Sandoval: Second Team
Kyle Galinis: Third Team
Eric Perez: Third Team
Avery Erickson: Third Team