Men's Cross Country

Westmont Takes MXC Awards

The Warriors are the Team of the Week and Phillip Contakes earns Runner of the Week.

Westmont is the Team of the Week after a third-place finish (in a field of 22 teams) at The Master’s University Invitational. Phillip Contakes led the Warriors with a tenth-place run to claim Runner of the Week status.

2026 Results/Schedule
2026 USTFCCCA National and Regional Polls
 
RUNNER OF THE WEEK: Westmont’s Phillip Contakes, Fr., Santa Barbara, Calif.                 
Westmont’s Phillip Contakes crossed the line 10th in a large field at the TMU Invitational in Central Park in Santa Clarita. The local Santa Barbara product clocked 25:04 on the 8K course. The freshman was the top Division II finisher in a field represented by all three NCAA divisions, along with NAIA and junior college racers.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: Westmont Warriors                                                                                                       
Westmont is the Team of the Week after finishing third in a 22-team field at the TMU Invite. The Warriors had five finishers in the top 26, led by Phillip Contakes (see above). The Warriors had a 44-second spread between its scoring runners with Kaeden Anderson following Contakes in 25:40, with Blake Holtermann (25:43) next, William Covington (25:48) and Tyler Allan (25:48). “It was a promising overall team performance as we look ahead to the PacWest Championships,” said head coach Russell Smelley.
 
PACWEST NEWS AND NOTES: Vanguard also competed at the TMU meet, placing 13th. The Lions’ top runner was Ommar Arroyo in 26:09 on the 8K course…Host TMU won the team competition with Embry-Riddle AZ second…Concordia ran at the Cougar Challenge at CSU San Marcos, placing 11th. Shane Tominaga was the top Golden Eagle in 27:05 (8K)…Hawaii Pacific did not field a full team but ran in the Willamette Invitational in Salem, Ore. Drake Hanley was the top HPU runner in 27:17.

LOOKING AHEAD: Six teams will compete this weekend, starting on Friday when Dominican and Westmont run at the San Francisco State Invitational. On Saturday, Biola and Concordia will head to Illinois to compete in the loaded national field at the Lewis Crossover in Romeoville. Biola and Vanguard will send runners to the Pomona-Pitzer Invite in Claremont. To see the complete 2026 schedule, click here.