FRESNO, Calif. – Azusa Pacific entered this season as the favorite to win the PacWest for the first time, and the Cougars not only proved that prediction to be correct, but they accomplished it in dominant fashion on Saturday morning at the PacWest Championships. All seven of the Cougars’ top seven finishers crossed the finish line within the top-11 in the 8K race. Azusa Pacific finished with 25 points, which was 50 points fewer than Biola, which placed second overall.
“We have been hungry for this for about 365 days,” head coach Sean Smith said afterwards, referring to last year’s second place finish. “We have worked really hard, training hard and racing little to prep for the conference meet. I am really proud of them. We are building a culture that is growing to be a contender at this level and at the national level as well.”
The Cougars were led by a group of five runners that earned All-PacWest First Team distinction with their performances today, as Felix Perrier (24:57.7), Juan Diego Castro (24:36.7), Jared Wright (24:39.2), Nixon Korir (24:40.4) and Riley Burns (24:48.6) finished consecutively at third through seventh. Rounding out the Cougars’ group of seven was Dider Sandoval (24:50.5), who finished 9th, and Benjamin Sumner (24:53.5) placed 11th overall, with both runners earning All-PacWest Second Team honors.
In addition to the group of seven scorers, Ezekiel Nyberg (25:10.7) and Michael Schneider (25:11.1) also garnered All-PacWest recognition for the Cougars, with the two earning Third Team honors as Nyberg placed 15th and Schneider was 16th.
As the final results showed, the Cougars were dominant due in large part to their pack mentality, approach, and execution in the race. Throughout the race, there was a constant group of Cougars sticking together and being patient when necessary, and aggressive in moments in which they needed to be.
Another telling reality of the Cougars’ performance today was that if the group of 10 runners was split in two, Azusa Pacific would have placed first and second in the race. With Sandoval, Sumner, Nyberg, Schneider and Eric Perez’ (22nd – 25:27.6) performances alone, the Cougars would have still beat Biola by a point.
With their first PacWest title under their belt, the Cougars now turn their attention towards Regionals, which will be held on Saturday, Nov. 4 in Monmouth, Oregon. Azusa Pacific will be in the hunt for a top-three finish to clinch an automatic bid to Nationals in Joplin, Missouri on Saturday, November 18. Azusa Pacific is currently ranked second in the West region, and 10th nationally. This upcoming week, the USTFCCCA will release updated regional and national rankings.