KAHUKU, Hawaii --- A mindset focused on God guided the Biola cross country squad to a pair of top-three finishes at the PacWest Championships. 

The Kahuku golf course held the conference finale on Saturday. The ocean breeze, humid conditions and steep hills made for a tough course for the field of PacWest squads.

"I told the team they can't underestimate the course," said head coach Sean Henning. "The effort was great from both teams today. Both teams literally left it all out there so I couldn't have asked for anything more."

The women's team put together a team effort to pick up second place on Saturday. The BU crew placed seven runners in the top-16 to score 43 points, one shy of the leader, Academy of Art.

"I thought our women did great. They really stepped up," added Henning.

First-year star, Lynette Ruiz, left her impression on the field, nabbing second as an individual. Ruiz only trailed the reigning PacWest individual champion in her fifth year at ARTU. The freshman was at the head of the pack throughout the event, posting a time of 22:19.2 in her second career 6k race, marking the 12th best time in school history.

"Going into the race I planned on going out how I usually go out and staying with the girls until I felt comfortable to pick up the pace," said Ruiz.

Ruiz led the group of seven BU runners who earned a spot on the All-PacWest team. The top 21 finishers from Saturday's race were recognized on the prestigious team. 

Heading up the chase pack was Daisy Romero with the best run of her season. Romero took eighth on the day, logging a personal-best time of 23:10.3. Mackenna Mason quickly followed Romero in ninth place on the way to a mark of 23:15.6.

The flurry of Biola runners kept coming, as Grace Catena and Jax Heckers crossed the line in 11th and 13th place, respectively. The two upperclassmen rounded out the scorers for Biola, contributing to the 43 point team total. The team also finished with a team time of 1:55:28.

"The chase pack did a great job of getting us some single-digit points. Daisy ran the race of the year for her and we've seen Mackenna get more and more fit throughout the season to maintain her solid performances," commented Henning.

Megan Neumann and Britta Holmberg posted back-to-back placements, squeezing inside the top 16 finishers. With a mark of 23:33.2 sophomore Neumann notched 15th place, while freshman Holmberg crossed the finish line at 23:40.2 for 16th place.

For the men, Ronald Kigen jumped out to a fast start and ultimately pulled away with seventh place. Kigen delivered a time of 25:24.3, while leading the team of Eagles.

BU landed in third after a tough day on the course, following up Fresno Pacific and Azusa Pacific on the leaderboard. Biola combined for a team time of 2:09.45 on Saturday and tallied 60 total points, while battling the course conditions and past injuries.

"The men definitely gave their best effort but they're still trying to figure out how to run as a team. They've had some injuries that hurt our ability to have everyone together," said Henning.

A trio of Eagles arrived at the finish line together to bring home the next scorers for BU. The three athletes came in within six seconds of each other, as Jerry Baltzer, Brady DeHaven and Ryan Sorensen notched 10th, 11th and 12th. 

Aidan Arredondo rose to the occasion on Saturday, scoring for the Eagles for the first time this season. The freshman logged a time of 26:24.8 on the way to a 20th place finish.

"I'm proud of their resolve. They showed up and raced hard. Ryan Sorensen and Aidan Arredondo really stepped up for us," added Henning

Both teams will now shift their focus onto the NCAA Division II West Regionals set to take place in two weeks. The season is not over yet for these promising teams, as they prepare for the trip to Monmouth, Oregon on November 6.