Lancer Cross Country Claims Historic Sweep of WAC Championships

Saturday, October 29

Nacogdoches, TX

6 AM

California Baptist University

WAC Championships

Lancer Cross Country Claims Historic Sweep of WAC Championships

10/29/2022 2:46:00 PM | Cross Country & Track

By: Andrew Shortall | Daniel Cook, Associate Director of Athletics Communications & Digital Media

NAGODOCHES – California Baptist University cross country became the first school in Western Athletic Conference history to sweep both men's and women's team titles multiple times. The Lancers did it for the second time in the last three years and produced another individual champion at the 2022 WAC Championship Meet at Pecan Acres Park on Saturday.

🧹 ℍ𝕀𝕊𝕋𝕆ℝ𝕀ℂ 𝕊𝕎𝔼𝔼ℙ 🧹 California Baptist University becomes the first school in WAC history to sweep the cross country championships multiple times!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/o7QLTnx2Nx — California Baptist Lancers (@CBULancers) October 29, 2022
The Lancers men won their third-straight WAC team title and were led by individual champion Said Mechaal, while the women won their fourth WAC crown in the last five years. Mechaal was named the WAC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year, while Maelle Porcher earned WAC Women's Freshman of the Year honors.

For his leadership in overseeing both winning programs, head coach Adam Tribble earned both the WAC Men and Women's head coach of the Year honors, repeating for the second time, doing so first in 2020. Tribble has now earned the honor seven times in the five seasons that CBU has been a member of the WAC.

CBU showcased its depth on both sides, as 14 Lancers (seven women, seven men) earned All-WAC honors with top-20 finishes. Nine of them (five women, four men) were all-conference first teamers by virtue of their top-10 marks.

California Baptist will now turn its attention to the NCAA Division I West Regional in Seattle on Friday, Nov. 11. The women are currently ranked third in the West, while the men are No. 4.

The Lancer men dominated their way to victory with 23 points, as their top four finished in the top five and their fifth runner crossed in 12^th. Southern Utah (63) and Utah Valley (67) battled it out for runner-up honors.

🏆 𝗪𝗔𝗖 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 🏆 3⃣-peat 😤#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/ue9VLqnE4d — CBU XC & Track (@CBUXCTF) October 29, 2022
Mechaal won his first individual conference title in cross country with a time of 22 minutes, 58.65 seconds. It was a near 10-second cushion over CBU's Giedrius Valincius, who took second in 23:08. Arturs Medveds was not far off the Lancers in third (23:12.4) and Florian Le Pallec crossed in fifth place (23:19.7) as all four earned All-WAC First Team honors.

Rikus Van Niekerk was the final point scorer for California Baptist in 12^th (23:49.9) and earned All-WAC Second Team distinction, along with Zlatko Kozuhar (16^th, 24:04.6) and Massimiliano Berti (19^th, 24:13.6). Luis Chavez also took 25^th for CBU (24:24.4).

It was a two-team race from the start on the women's side, but the Lancers packed their five scorers into the top eight for a final score of 24 that was a 25-point edge over second-place Utah Valley (49). NM State took third with 86 points while Southern Utah came in fourth (93).

🏆 𝗪𝗔𝗖 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 🏆 Back on top!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/sLzRRvoJlJ — CBU XC & Track (@CBUXCTF) October 29, 2022
Yasna Petrova (20:03.5)and Greta Karinauskaite (20:13.2) gave CBU a strong one-two punch, as they took second and third, respectively. Carlota Rodes (20:26.6)and Maelle Porcher (20:33.6) crossed in fifth and sixth, while Anna Mate completed the scoring five in eighth place (20:39.6) as those five earned All-WAC First Team accolades.

Maja Dzialoszewska (13^th, 20:51.6) and Emilia Mikszuta (20^th, 21:07.5) both made the All-WAC Second Team. Anneken Viljoen (23^rd, 21:15) and Paige Haynes (27^th, 21:34) rounded out a strong day with top-30 finishes for CBU.