FRESNO, Calif. --- Ever since Aug. 31 when the PacWest Conference Preseason Coaches' Polls were released this Biola Cross Country team has been running with a target on its back. Both of Head Coach Sean Henning's teams were picked to win the conference, and now the time has come to see where the chips really do fall.
Friday morning at Woodward Park in Fresno, California the whole conference will come together for the first time this season to compete at the PacWest Championship meet, hosted by Fresno Pacific. It's a blank slate for the conference teams, since former member California Baptist won both events one year ago, there will definitely be new champions crowned.
Last season saw CBU take first, Academy of Art take second and Biola take third in both races. So, naturally, all eyes will be on BU and ART U headed into the weekend. However, there are some other teams on both sides that could be in the mix and make for competitive races. Take a look at the tables below to note the top 8k and 6k team times of the season for each PacWest program.
Top Men's 8k Times (by school)
| Team |
Top Time |
| Biola |
2:04:26 |
| Hawaii Pacific |
2:09:03 |
| Academy of Art |
2:10:23 |
| Fresno Pacific |
2:10:26 |
| Azusa Pacific |
2:11:54 |
| Notre Dame de Namur |
2:15:09 |
| Concordia Irvine |
2:15:15 |
| Chaminade |
2:22:57 |
| Dominican |
2:27:09 |
| Holy Names |
2:42:13 |
Biola, led by the program's all-time top runner
Gabe Plendcio, will look to clinch its first-ever PacWest Conference title in the day's first race. The men's 8k is set for a 9:00 a.m. start and the Eagles come into it with a top team time almost five minutes faster than the next competitor.
That team time was set at the Eagles' recent win at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational. It's also the day Plendcio ran a lightning-quick 23:59.1 to set a new individual school record. Biola ran a 2:11:16 to earn third-place last year. CBU had the winning team-time of 2:07:11. The Eagles have never run at Woodward Park.
On the men's side, Academy of Art is the only program to be featured in the USTFCCCA Regional Rankings. The Urban Knights are ninth of the 10 teams ranked in the West Region.
Top Women's 6k Times (by school - some converted from 5k)
| Team |
Top Time |
| Azusa Pacific |
1:47:27 |
| Point Loma |
1:50:28 |
| Biola |
1:52:25 |
| Academy of Art |
1:55:06 |
| Concordia Irvine |
1:55:09 |
| Fresno Pacific |
1:55:46 |
| Hawaii Pacific |
1:58:28 |
| Notre Dame de Namur |
2:01:41 |
| Dominican |
2:07:02 |
| Chaminade |
2:21:09 |
| Holy Names |
no team time recorded |
This year's women's 6k is set for a 10:15 a.m. start in Fresno.
The women's team completed the conference championship 6k in 1:51:58 in 2017 and come into this weekend's race with a similar top 6k team time of 1:52.25. The Eagles have the third-best 6k time in the conference this season, but it's bitter rival Azusa Pacific that comes in with the top mark.
The Cougars managed a 1:47:27 in a true 6k at the UC Riverside Cross Country Invitational back in mid-September. It was by far their best team time of the season and allowed them to finish fifth overall, four spots ahead of any other non-NCAA Division I team.
Mackenna Mason and Clara Haynes have been Biola's top-two runners all season long, alternating who's one and who's two. If they can have their typical performance on Friday and Emily Ransom and the rest of Biola's top-5 also runs its best race, BU could have a chance to get a championship on the women's side.
The women's teams in the PacWest occupy more spots in the USTFCCCA Regional Rankings. Azusa Pacific is fourth in the west and Point Loma is eighth in the west. The Cougars are the only team featured on a national poll, coming in at No. 11 in the women's top-25.
Both teams will at the very least come in with the goal of a top-3 finish, which will punch their ticket to the National Christian College Athletic Association Championship next week. Biola has the top team time in both genders among NCCAA Division I schools.
The top-21 finishers on both sides of this weekend's PacWest Championship race will earn All-PacWest honors. Runners 1-7 are All-PacWest first team, 8-14 are All-PacWest second team and 15-21 form All-PacWest third team.
You can follow the races live at http://finishedresults.trackscoreboard.com/#/results/meet-xc/8511. We will also have live updates throughout the day at out Twitter handle (@BiolaAthletics) and photos and videos posted to our Instagram (@BiolaAthletics).
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