California Baptist University
NCAA Division II West Regional (10K)
Hard Lessons Learned
11/7/2015 2:53:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Cross Country, Cross Country & Track
MONMOUTH, Ore. — Difficult lessons in life can rarely be seen for their benefits when the wound is so fresh. Such is the case for California Baptist University who missed qualifying for the NCAA Division II championship meet.
The West Regional only allows the top-four teams of the competition to advance to the NCAA Division II, but CBU finished in eighth place as a team with 272 points.
Despite the setback, the Lancers can be proud of their accomplishments this season, winning their fifth-straight PacWest Conference title with stellar individual performances all throughout the year.
"Men had a rough day," head coach Ben Gall said. "We just never really got in a good position to qualify. Our men had a great season, though, winning their fifth-straight conference title."
Coming in first for the Lancers, and 22nd overall, was Valentin Robert, who ended with a time of 30 minutes, 38.89 seconds, to earn All-West Region distinction. Robert has led his team with gusto and pride all season, winning several accolades for PacWest Runner of the Week.
Duncan Perillat-Amede (31:27.86), Abdel El-Hajjami (31:32.12), Jayden Emerson (31:38.83) and Tyre Hines (31:56.65) placed 48th, 52nd, 57th, and 66th, respectively. Freshman duo William Ernst (32:05.07) and Ken Kipkorir (32:09.96) completed CBU's team effort, taking 72nd and 74th, respectively.
This race comes as a valuable experience as five of the seven runners will return for next year.
"Fortunately we have a young team and they will bounce back stronger because of this experience," Gall said.
Players Mentioned
