California Baptist University
WAC Championships
CBU Finishes out Impressive Weekend at WAC Championships
5/14/2023 12:49:00 AM | Cross Country & Track
Nacogdoches--- On the final day of the WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, California Baptist brought home eight more All-WAC awards and produced two more individual champions.
Championship Saturday began with the men's 1500M, featuring Valentin Soca, Matias Reynaga, and Arturs Medveds. Soca won his first individual champion as a freshman with a time of 3:42.09. Soca's time was a personal best and set a new program record. Reynaga came in right behind him at 3:43.00 for second place, earning him an All-WAC First Team nod. Reynaga's time was nearly four seconds faster than his previous high, and he now owns the third-fastest mark in program history.
The women's 1500M race came next with Mia Cabrera and Maelle Porcher on deck. Porcher built on her success in the prelims with an equally impressive performance in the finals with a time of 4:20.36. Her time was a new personal best by over four seconds, earning her an individual WAC Championship. The mark also set a new program record and helped Porcher capture WAC Freshman of the Year. Cabrera came in fifth and earned an All-WAC Second Team nod at 4:30.36.
After a lightning delay, Cabrera raced in her second event of the afternoon, this time in the 800M. Cabrera registered a time of 2:10.09, a new personal best, and put her in third place in the final. The third-place finish earned Cabrera her first-ever All-WAC First Team honor and her second award of the weekend.
The final races of the day were the men's and women's 5K's. On the men's side, Rikus Van Niekerk was the lone Lancer to finish in the top 10 in a field of 51 runners. Van Niekerk registered a time of 14:44.57 in his second event of the meet.
Yasna Petrova finished second for the women in a loaded field of 51 runners. Petrova ran a 16:25.45 time, giving her a top-10 time in program history and her first-ever First Team All-WAC finish. Marina Trave also made the podium by finishing in seventh place with a time of 16:48.56. The time was a personal best for Trave, and she was the eighth and final award winner of the weekend for the Lancers. Cynthia Martin, Paige Haynes, and Anna Mate all finished in the top 20 to round out the meet for CBU.
Next, the Lancers will await the final results from the west region to see how many qualify for the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Division I West Regional Championships in Sacramento, CA.
Players Mentioned
