Women's Cross Country

Trio of Teams Expected to Contend for WXC Title

Defending champion Biola and Concordia are loaded, with Azusa Pacific in the mix as well

FRESNO, Calif.—While the 2023 Pacific West Conference Cross Country Championships has a heavy favorite on paper for the men’s race (click here to read preview), the outcome of the women’s title run is a little murky.

Defending champion Biola certainly could win it again but they will have company in the hunt. Concordia and Azusa Pacific are expected to be running in stride with the Eagles, with Point Loma, Westmont, Academy of Art and host Fresno Pacific just outside that top grouping.

The women’s 6K championship begins at 9 a.m. in Fresno’s Woodward Park. The gun will go off for the men’s 8K championship at 10 a.m.

Biola won the 2022 title in San Leandro, Calif with 36 points, 14 points ahead of runner-up Azusa Pacific. The Eagles had stunning depth, placing five runners in the top 11, seven racers in the top 14 and they had 10 runners in the top 20. Seven of those ten Eagles return in 2023, giving every good reason for Biola to win again.

A big part of that returning group is 2022 race champion Lynette Ruiz. Last fall, Ruiz won the title on the last step of the race, inching past APU’s Eline Pinter. Just a sophomore at the time, Ruiz returns to defend her own title.

But teammate Bethany Mapes, the PacWest Freshman of the Year in 2022, has had a very impressive 2023 and could have even better odds of winning. German newcomer Susi Bruennig and returnee Britta Holmberg could also be there among the first to cross the finish line.

If the Eagles do repeat, they will be the first PacWest women’s cross country team to go back-to-back since 2017.

Concordia is next behind Biola with the most returning fire power. That includes Jori Paradis (seventh last year), Porshe Eismann (third in 2022) and Maddie Jahshan, who has moved into that top Golden Eagle grouping this year. Paradis won the Coyote Challenge at San Bernardino earlier this year. Just a few weeks ago, the Golden Eagles finished ahead of regional power Stanislaus State in San Francisco, and just two points behind No. 1 regionally ranked Chico State, serving notice that they are ready to contend in Fresno.

Azusa Pacific will be led by Justine Stecko, who in 2021 was sixth in the PacWest championships and placed seventh at the NCAA West Regional race. The Cougars had three runners in the top five last year, but that trio (including Pinter) will not race this Saturday. APU did gain Biola transfer Haleigh Guerrero, who crossed the line 16th last year for the Eagles.

The most recent west region rankings speak to the above mentioned trio as the top contenders, with Biola sitting in the No. 3 west region spot (16th nationally), Concordia at No. 4 (19th nationally) and Azusa Pacific at No. 5.

Aubrie Nex (Point Loma) and Grace Southern (Academy of Art) have both won PacWest Runner of the Week awards this year and hope to lead their teams to finishes in the upper half of the 11 squads competing. Fresno Pacific, host of the meet, has Yorkabel Gebrehiwot who crossed the finish line ninth a year ago and Julissa Avila, who was 17th.

First-year PacWest member Westmont will vie for placing on Saturday along with Dominican, Hawaii Pacific, Hawaii Hilo and Chaminade.

To learn more about the meet, including how to follow the Live Results, go to the Championships page by clicking here.