Saturday, February 27
Seattle, Wash.
10 AM
California Baptist University
vs
WAC Cross Country Championships
XC PREVIEW: CBU Eyes WAC Championship Sweep this Weekend in Seattle
2/25/2021 9:44:00 AM | Cross Country & Track
SEATTLE – California Baptist University cross country is all set for another run at the Western Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday.
Both Lancer squads finished top-two at the meet last season, and they will look to sweep the WAC titles for the first time in their third year in the conference. CBU's women will look to remain undefeated at the WAC Championships and win their third title in a row. The Lancers' men finished runner-up in the WAC in 2019, but have been in top form this season.
The WAC Championships will be held at the Jefferson Park Golf Course in Seattle. It will be a familiar location for some Lancers, as it served as the site for the 2018 WAC Championships. The women will run a 6,000-meter race at 10 a.m., and the men's 8K will follow at 11 a.m.
A LOOK AT THE MEN
The Lancers' men will have to go through the two-time defending champions, Utah Valley. Even with the delayed start to the season and COVID-19 pandemic, CBU has been in great form in 2021. The Lancers have set 10 new top-25 8K times in program history and have been tested against a host of top-ranked teams through three events this season.
Ivo Balabanov has been CBU's frontrunner all season long. He has set CBU's 8K record twice already this year, most recently with a 23:33.5 at the Battle Born Collegiate last weekend, and has been named the WAC Athlete of the Week twice.
Florian Le Pallec, Giedrius Valincius and Luis Chavez have been in CBU's scoring five in all three meets this season. Le Pallec is coming off a great meet at the Battle Born Collegiate, as his time of 23:43.3 ranks second in the Lancers' 8K record book, just behind Balabanov. Valnicius (24:08.4, seventh); Bruno (24:10.8, 10th) and Chavez (24:24.1, 19th) also posted top-20 times in Vegas over the weekend.
While this will be the WAC Championship debut for Balabanov and Le Pallec, Valincius earned an All-WAC First-Team finishes in 2019 when he came in seventh (25:17.39) last year.
The Lancers will also have returning all-conference finishers from last season McMarshal Hartzenberg (fourth, 25:15.35) and Zlatko Kozuhar (fifth, 25:15.39) back in the lineup this weekend.
A LOOK AT THE WOMEN
CBU's women made history in 2019, as they posted the first perfect score in conference history. It will be hard to follow that up in 2021, as the Lancers do not return three of their top-four finishers from last year: Anett Somogyi, Andrea Kolbeinsdottir and Fruzsina Ladanyi.
There is a good mix of returners and newcomers leading the way this season. The Lancers' top-three has been unquestioned all season long, as junior Anna Mate, true freshman Greta Karinauskaite and Emilie Renaud have finished as CBU's top-three in order in all three events so far.
Mate has been named the WAC Athlete of the Week twice, with two top-12 times in CBU history (20:43.0, 11th and 20:43.7, 12th) to her credit so far. Karinauskaite has posted two top-17 times for the Lancers (20:55.8, 16th and 20:57.6, 17th), as well.
Emilia Mikszuta is the other Lancer to be a top-five finisher in all three events this season for CBU. Luz Karen Olivera has been there twice, while Daan Haven was there last weekend.
Mate (second, 21:28.66) and Renaud (fifth, 21:35.02) were both all-conference first-team finishers for CBU in 2019.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
Event: WAC Championships
Date: Saturday, Feb. 27
Times: Women's 6K at 10 a.m. | Men's 8K at 11 a.m.
Location: Seattle (Jefferson Park Golf Course)
Live Results: Athletic Live
Both Lancer squads finished top-two at the meet last season, and they will look to sweep the WAC titles for the first time in their third year in the conference. CBU's women will look to remain undefeated at the WAC Championships and win their third title in a row. The Lancers' men finished runner-up in the WAC in 2019, but have been in top form this season.
The WAC Championships will be held at the Jefferson Park Golf Course in Seattle. It will be a familiar location for some Lancers, as it served as the site for the 2018 WAC Championships. The women will run a 6,000-meter race at 10 a.m., and the men's 8K will follow at 11 a.m.
A LOOK AT THE MEN
The Lancers' men will have to go through the two-time defending champions, Utah Valley. Even with the delayed start to the season and COVID-19 pandemic, CBU has been in great form in 2021. The Lancers have set 10 new top-25 8K times in program history and have been tested against a host of top-ranked teams through three events this season.
Ivo Balabanov has been CBU's frontrunner all season long. He has set CBU's 8K record twice already this year, most recently with a 23:33.5 at the Battle Born Collegiate last weekend, and has been named the WAC Athlete of the Week twice.
Florian Le Pallec, Giedrius Valincius and Luis Chavez have been in CBU's scoring five in all three meets this season. Le Pallec is coming off a great meet at the Battle Born Collegiate, as his time of 23:43.3 ranks second in the Lancers' 8K record book, just behind Balabanov. Valnicius (24:08.4, seventh); Bruno (24:10.8, 10th) and Chavez (24:24.1, 19th) also posted top-20 times in Vegas over the weekend.
While this will be the WAC Championship debut for Balabanov and Le Pallec, Valincius earned an All-WAC First-Team finishes in 2019 when he came in seventh (25:17.39) last year.
The Lancers will also have returning all-conference finishers from last season McMarshal Hartzenberg (fourth, 25:15.35) and Zlatko Kozuhar (fifth, 25:15.39) back in the lineup this weekend.
A LOOK AT THE WOMEN
CBU's women made history in 2019, as they posted the first perfect score in conference history. It will be hard to follow that up in 2021, as the Lancers do not return three of their top-four finishers from last year: Anett Somogyi, Andrea Kolbeinsdottir and Fruzsina Ladanyi.
There is a good mix of returners and newcomers leading the way this season. The Lancers' top-three has been unquestioned all season long, as junior Anna Mate, true freshman Greta Karinauskaite and Emilie Renaud have finished as CBU's top-three in order in all three events so far.
Mate has been named the WAC Athlete of the Week twice, with two top-12 times in CBU history (20:43.0, 11th and 20:43.7, 12th) to her credit so far. Karinauskaite has posted two top-17 times for the Lancers (20:55.8, 16th and 20:57.6, 17th), as well.
Emilia Mikszuta is the other Lancer to be a top-five finisher in all three events this season for CBU. Luz Karen Olivera has been there twice, while Daan Haven was there last weekend.
Mate (second, 21:28.66) and Renaud (fifth, 21:35.02) were both all-conference first-team finishers for CBU in 2019.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
Event: WAC Championships
Date: Saturday, Feb. 27
Times: Women's 6K at 10 a.m. | Men's 8K at 11 a.m.
Location: Seattle (Jefferson Park Golf Course)
Live Results: Athletic Live
Players Mentioned
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/ Cross Country & Track
/ Cross Country & Track
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