LA MIRADA --- Biola cross country put on a strong showing at their lone home meet of the season on Friday, as the women's team captured the team title and the men's squad finished as the top NCAA Division II program in a competitive Biola Invitational field that featured Division I opponents Grand Canyon and Pepperdine.

Women Take First in 15-Team Field

The Biola women dominated the day, taking first place out of 15 teams with 43 points and a team time of 1:31:35.

"We did a great job of being patient and poised at the start, and really racing hard the last mile," reflected head coach Sean Henning. "We moved up significantly, and I was really happy with the results. We had a lot of young ladies step up and have big days for us. It was great to see Elizabeth round out our scoring five, followed by Claire and Serenity rounding out our seven. Grace also had a terrific day and it was a lot of fun to see her build her confidence throughout the race."

Senior Bethany Mapes led the charge with a runner-up finish, clocking 17:53.8. She was backed by a tight scoring pack that featured Madison Ebright (7th, 18:13.5), Hailey Wurzbach (8th, 18:18.1), Jaina Kang (10th, 18:25.2), and Elizabeth Kurtz (17th, 18:43.8).

The Eagles also showcased depth with strong runs from newcomers Claire Lesiw (24th, 18:52.0), Serenity Fausto (27th, 18:59.7), and Sara Johnson (31st, 19:03.5), along with seniors Karis Brown and Ellie Demitrashchuk among the top half of the field.

"We did really good and collectively won as a team today," stated Mapes. "I'm really excited to start our travel races later on and really excited for Nationals. Our goal is to make it to Nationals and have our best racing there."

Men Earn Fourth and Top DII Finish

On the men's side, the Eagles secured a fourth-place team finish with 109 points and a team time of 2:05:39, standing out as the best Division II squad in the race. Junior Melt Von Molendorff paced Biola in 12th place with a time of 24:45.1. Freshman Grant Miller (18th, 25:02.1), sophomore Josh Klausmeier (23rd, 25:09.1), freshman Isaac Hampson (27th, 25:18.9), and junior Jeremiah Echeverria (29th, 25:23.7) rounded out the top five scorers.

The race also marked the collegiate debut for seven Eagle freshmen, including Miller, Hampson, Aiden Burr, Andrew Bel, Brayden Lunetta, Marcin Stanglewicz, Alec Fabery, Ethan Slamer, and Isaac Ginete, as the team gained valuable experience on their home course.

"The man had a pretty average day, unfortunately from a results standpoint," stated Henning. "We had a lot of tough racing out there and that's ultimately what we are seeking. Not every day is going to be great. Unfortunately, our top two really struggled today, and that drastically affected the score, but I know the fight was there . Grant did a great job debuting at the 8K distance and closed really well, as did Isaac."

Biola will return to the course in two weeks at the UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday, September 27.

Henning concluded, "We have a lot of work to do on both sides, and the men will have a better day in the future. It's a long season and we feel like the momentum's heading in the right direction without a doubt. God was glorified with great effort from both of these teams today."