Academy of Art’s Grace Southern keeps breaking records for the Urban Knights and is the PacWest Runner of the Week for the second time. Biola won the team trophy at The Master’ Invitational to claim their second PacWest Team of the Week award.

2023 Results/Schedule
2023 USTFCCCA National Poll
 
RUNNER OF THE WEEK: Grace Southern, Academy of Art, Jr., Middletown, Calif.                                                             
Grace Southern ran another excellent race for Academy of Art, this time at the Cougar Challenge on the campus of Cal State San Marcos. Southern was the second Division II runner to cross the finish line and the fourth runner overall, breaking school records in the process. The junior, a Shasta College transfer, ran 20:58.6 on the six kilometer course, the fastest time in Urban Knight cross country history, and also the first to crack 21 minutes in a ART U singlet. Southern finished just 1.5 seconds behind Chico State’s Della Molina and ahead of 186 other runners in large field that included Division I runners.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Biola Eagles                                                                                                                                            
Biola, the defending Pacific West Conference champions, won a different title at The Master’s Invitational in Santa Clarita on Saturday. The Eagles finished first in a strong small college field ahead of Division III power Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, NAIA nationally ranked The Master’s and 16 total teams. The Eagles did so by placing five runners in the top 10 for 33 points, led by Bethany Mapes’ third place crossing in 21:12.1 on the 6K course, virtually even with teammate Susi Bruenning’s fourth place finish of 21:12.9. Britta Holmberg was seventh (21:20), Lynette Ruiz crossed ninth (21:24) and Hailey Wurzbach was tenth (21:33). "The ladies won the team title, which is great," stated head coach Sean Henning. "We still aren't at full strength and have to add two more girls into the mix in two weeks, but I think the girls are trending in the right direction." 
 
PACWEST NEWS AND NOTES: In San Marcos, Academy of Art finished eighth overall in a deep field of 19 teams behind Grace Southern’s finish. The Urban Knights were the fifth Division II team, with Chico State winning the team competition…ART U’s Katharina Goetsch (21:38) placed 15^th and was the second PacWest runner to cross the finish line…Point Loma, who finished tenth as a team, was led by Madeline Reeves 23^rd placing in 21:49…Concordia finished 15^th with a shortened crew and Hawaii Pacific was 16^th…At The Master’s, Westmont finished in ninth place, led by Anneline Breytenbach (23:11)…Hawaii Hilo competed in Bellingham at Western Washington’s meet, with Megan Donovan the first Vulcan to cross the finish line in 27:56...In the latest national poll (see link above), Biola is listed at No. 15 and Azusa Pacific is 24th. Other West Region teams in the Top 25 are No. 12 Stanislaus State and No. 13 Chico State.

LOOKING AHEAD: Next Friday, Dominican and Fresno Pacific will compete in Lodi at the University of Pacific’s Collegiate Invitational. On Saturday, Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific will head to the Big Island for the Hawaii Hilo Invitational while Point Loma will plane to Oregon for the Willamette Invite. Azusa Pacific will trek across the country for the Live in Lou Classic, hosted by the University of Louisville…We are now less than a month away from the 2023 Pacific West Conference Championships (Oct. 21), hosted by Fresno Pacific at Woodward Park.