RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- Biola Cross Country put together one more strong regular-season showing Saturday morning, with the nationally-ranked women finishing fourth and Zach Elam leading a pair of standout performances for the men at the Highlander Invitational.

The No. 15 Biola women, also ranked No. 3 in the NCAA Division II West Region, scored 145 points to finish fourth in the 20-team field. The only three teams ahead of the Eagles were NCAA Division I programs UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego and Grand Canyon, making Biola the top Division II finisher.

The Eagles also edged Division I Cal State Fullerton by four points. Biola's No. 15 national ranking is a season high after the Eagles jumped eight spots following their runner-up performance at last week's Lewis Crossover.

Claire Lesiw led the Eagles across the 6K course, placing 11th overall in 20:41.7. The sophomore cut another 5.5 seconds from the 20:47.2 she ran on the UCR course in September and produced her fastest 6K of the season. Jaina Kang, fresh off her third PacWest Runner of the Week honor this fall, followed in 18th at 20:58.5.

Biola's depth completed the strong team effort. Alyssa Lopez finished 38th in 21:21.2, followed by Makayla Galvan in 51st at 21:29.9 and Lauren Sherman in 55th at 21:33.1. The scoring five crossed within just 52 seconds of one another.

On the men's side, Elam delivered one of his best races yet in a Biola uniform.

The graduate student finished second overall in 23:42.4, trailing only unattached runner Ernesto Ruiz. That made Elam the first collegiate finisher across the line in the 8K race. His time also bettered his previous collegiate best of 23:45.2, set at UCR in 2025 while competing for San Francisco.

Grant Miller was not far behind, placing fifth overall in 24:04.4. The sophomore shattered his previous TFRRS-listed 8K best of 24:24.4 by exactly 20 seconds.

James Rieckewald-Schmidt (24:49.4), Aiden Burr (25:08.2) and Brayden Lunetta (25:15.7) completed Biola's scoring five. The Eagles totaled 199 points to take eighth overall, finishing ahead of Division I programs CSUN and UC Santa Barbara and as the second-highest Division II team in the field.

Now the focus shifts entirely to championship season.

Both Biola teams enter November as the defending PacWest champions, with the women pursuing a fifth consecutive conference crown and the men looking to repeat after reclaiming the title in 2025.

The PacWest Championships are Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Jessup University Cross Country Course in Rocklin. The men's 8K begins at 8 a.m., followed by the women's 6K at 9 a.m.