Azusa Pacific won its first-ever men's Pacific West Conference Cross Country titles in 2023 and 2024, dethroning Biola who won in 2022, 2019 and 2018. 

In 2025, the PacWest coaches see the Eagles returning to the top of the cross country ladder. In the annual coaches poll, Biola received six the of the ten first place votes and 95 total poll points. Concordia is close behind with 88 points and two first place nods, with APU landing third on the list with the other two first place votes and 84 points. 

Of course, the poll is just a precourser to the actual event that will decide it all, the PacWest Championships on October 25 in Waipahu, Oahu at the Hawai`i Country Club.

Biola finished second at the 2024 PacWest Championships in Irvine with 44 points, just 15 digits behind Azusa Pacific's championship run of 29 points. But the Eagles were the top PacWest team two weeks later at the NCAA West Regional in Montana with a sparkling third place finish. 

The Eagles have the top returning runner in the conference in Melt von Molendorff, who finished third at the PacWest meet and 13th at the west regional. Head coach Sean Henning also welcomes back Jeremiah Echeverria (27th PacWest) and 11 total returnees. Marcin Stanglewicz, a transfer from Ole Miss with a triathlon background, adds depth. 

Concordia has been quietly climbing the PacWest ladder the past few seasons. After two straight fourth place finishes, the Golden Eagles moved up to third in 2024. The conference coaches think that they can make another jump this year, putting them in second. 

Head coach Keegan Bloomfield has eight total returnees, including First Team All-PacWest runner Noah Plaza, who finished seventh at the conference championships and 19th at the regional run. Spencer Handorf (19th PacWest) is also back. Bloomfield lost five runners but also has a very large freshman class of nine to work with . 

Azusa Pacific landed just four poll points behind CUI (84). Head coach Jebreh Harris led his Cougars to the 2024 title in his first year at the helm, earning PacWest Coach of the Year honors in the process.

But the Cougars lost three runners that were four-time All-PacWest honorees, including 2024 champ Jared Wright (Riley Burns, Dider Sandoval). APU's top returning runner is Kyle Galinas, who was 15th in Irvine and named the PacWest Newcomer of the Year. 

Fourth in the poll is Westmont with  66 points. The Warriors, who will be led by acting head coach Lindsey Connolley while veteran leader Russell Smelley is on sabbatical, has nine returnees. Lucciani Koroshec is one of that is back, finishing 22nd last year and just one slot out of All-PacWest honors. Thomas Reed (38th) is also back, but the Warriors graduated one of the top runners in the conference in Zola Sokehela. 

Fresno Pacific is just one poll point behind the Warriors (65). First-year head coach Landon Miller has Third Team All-PacWest runnner Jansen Gillig (21st) to lead his group of four returnees. Vanguard is next with 50 points. Head coach Bryan Wilkins, returning for his 37th season, has three solid returnees to build around in Cooper Anderson (40th), Ommar Arroyo (49th) and Jesse O'Campo (51). 

Dominican (40) is seventh in the poll. Head coach Teressa DiPerna, in her 14th season, has five returnees including top 2024 runner Diego Montag (43rd). Grad transfer Robert Dawson (Tennessee Tech) also joins the group, along with three incoming freshmen. Hawai`i Pacific (30), the PacWest Championship host, has one returning runner in Aaron Garcia for head coach Kevin Schwartz. Fellow island school Chaminade (20) lost four runners but returns Anthony Bergancia and James Carter, along with three freshman. Jessup rounds out the list where new head coach Garrett Seawell returns Zach Heberlein and Travis Brown.

The season will kick off on September 5 on Oahu for Hawai`i Pacific and Chaminade at the Big Wave Invitational, with Fresno Pacific (Clovis CC) and Concordia (Coyote Invite) opening their season on Saturday, Sept. 6. By the following weekend (Sept. 12-13) the rest of the schools will be underway at Biola's or CS San Bernardino's meets. To see the complete schedule, click here.