The Fresno Pacific men’s track and field squad tipped the apple cart in 2025, snapping Azusa Pacific’s eight-year run of winning the Pacific West Conference championship.

The Sunbirds sprinted their way to the title on their own track with 231 points, compared to APU’s 144. This year, the PacWest coaches feel that Fresno Pacific could very well make it two in a row at the PacWest Championships in San Diego, April 20-22.

The Sunbirds are the preseason favorite in the annual coaches poll, compiling 60 poll points and earning six of the eight first-place votes. Azusa Pacific is second with 55 points and one first place vote.

Concordia follows in third (47 points), Biola is fourth (45 points, one first place vote), Westmont fifth (28), Vanguard sixth (27), Dominican is seventh (16) and Jessup is eighth (10).

FPU head coach Robert Foster won the PacWest title in his first try, and he is loaded again. Returning to the defending title winners is Shemar Palmer, the PacWest Track Athlete of the Year. Palmer was also the NCAA West Region T&F Athlete of the Year and won two NCAA All-American awards in the 200 and 400 meters.

In the field events, Foster has Malachi Carrasco back, the PacWest Field Rookie of the Year and NCAA high jump All-American, along with Dejan Mileusnic, an All-American in the javelin.

Azusa Pacific head coach Jack Hoyt has 12 athletes back that placed at the PacWest championships, but they also lost about the same number. Hoyt will add four solid transfers, including Mark Burdin, a decathlete who won All-American honors at Angelo State and competed at Kansas.

Concordia finished third at the 2025 championships and is picked to land there again. Head coach Keegan Bloomfield has ten back that placed last year, including conference champs Trey Vergenz (hammer) and Dustin Berger (steeplechase). Right behind the Golden Eagles are the Eagles of Biola, led by 10K champ Melt von Molendorff, who also won the conference cross country title last fall. Head coach Sean Henning also welcomes back PacWest Freshman of the Year Joshua Widdows and All-Region high jumper Robby Parker.

Westmont follows, directed by head coach Russell Smelley, who returns for his 47^th season. Vanguard is sixth with four PacWest placers returning and four solid transfers for head coach Bryan Wilkins. Dominican and head coach Teressa DiPerna returns one of the fastest men in the conference in Adrian Aguirre, the 110 hurdles champ last year. Jessup has a new leader in Laura Gustafson, who lost some key scorers but returns a few along with a few transfers.

The 2026 PacWest Conference Track and Field Championships will be held April 20-22 in San Diego at Point Loma’s scenic complex.

To see capsules on each team, click on the links at the top of the page. To see the schedule leading up to the Pacific West Conference Championships, click on the link above as well.