Point Loma stood out this week for their performance in Oregon amongst a loaded field of good Pacific Northwest teams. PLNU's Aubrie Nex was one of the top runners in the race with a scorching 5 kilometer time of 17:48 to gain Runner of the Week honors.
2023 Results/Schedule
2023 USTFCCCA National Poll
RUNNER OF THE WEEK: Aubrie Nex, Point Loma, Jr., Temecula, Calif.
Aubrie Nex was one of the top runners at Bush Park in Salem, Ore. at the Charles Bowles Invitational, zipping across the 5K course in 17:48. She placed ninth among collegiate runners and 11th across the 223 runners in a field of good Division I, III and NAIA teams. She squashed her mark of 18:16 on the same course a year ago, when she placed sixth overall. Her per mile time for the course that featured grass, bark chip trails and blacktop was 5:43. A junior, Nex is a two-time Third Team All-PacWest honoree.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Point Loma Sea Lions
Point Loma ran against some of the top teams in the Pacific Northwest in Salem at the Charles Bowles Invitational (hosted by Willamette University). The Sea Lions placed seventh among the 23 teams, defeating a number of Division I schools in the process. Other than the team champion College of Idaho, who is ranked No. 3 nationally in the NAIA, the only teams to finish ahead of Point Loma were Division I teams. After
Aubrie Nex's 11th place finish, the next Sea Lions in order on the 5K course were
Elizabeth Satterlee (18:21),
Madeline Reeves (18:27) and
Rylie Burns (18:37). "The women had a great race in Salem," head coach
Landon Bright said. "It was the first time we've raced a few of our top runners, so the team looked a little more complete. Our top four were fairly close together, so our focus now will be to bring that fifth runner a little closer."
PACWEST NEWS AND NOTES: Azusa Pacific made the trek across the country to run in Louisville against some of the best Division I and II teams in the nation. The top two teams in Division II took the top two spots in the 5K Gold race, with No. 2 Adams State winning (58 points) with No. 1 Grand Valley State second (95). APU was 31st of 38 teams, with
Sofia Camacho leading the way with a time of 18:20.
Haleigh Guerrero was right behind her in 18:28...At the University of Pacific's Collegiate Invitational,
Fresno Pacific finished fifth in the nine-team field, just behind in-town Division I Fresno State. The Sunbirds had 130 team points to FSU's 85, with St. Mary's winning the meet with 22 points. At the meet in Lodi,
Yorkabel Gebrehiwot crossed the line first for the Sunbirds (12th overall) with
Julissa Avila (22nd) next in 22:29 on the 6K course.
Dominican also ran in the race with
Courtney Santos the top Penguin runner in 24:39...On the Big Island in Hilo,
Chaminade won the three-team Hawai`i Hilo Invitational at the Naniloa course. The Silverswords had 22 team points, with
Hawai`i Pacific just a shade behind with 32 and the Vulcans to follow with 64. Chaminade's
Maria Steinke won the 6K race in 24:08, plenty of distance ahead of teammate
Nikiji Dayse (24:49). HPU's top runner was
Carly Dyer (24:54) and Hilo's was
Kalani Gonzales (26:47)..
.Biola, Concordia, Academy of Art and
Westmont took the weekend off...In last week's national/regional polls, the top 5 west region teams are (12) Chico State, (13) Stanislaus State, (14)
Biola, (24)
Azusa Pacific and (28) Western Washington.
LOOKING AHEAD: Next Friday,
Dominican, Fresno Pacific and
Concordia will be at Golden Gate Park for the San Francisco State Invite...On Saturday,
Biola and
Academy of Art will send runners to the Lewis Crossover in Illinois, while Pomona-Pitzer will host
Point Loma, Westmont, Azusa Pacific and
Biola...The three
Hawai`i schools will be on Oahu for the HPU Invitational, held on the North Shore's Kahuku Golf Course...We are now three weeks away from the
2023 Pacific West Conference Championships (Oct. 21), hosted by
Fresno Pacific at Woodward Park.