California Baptist University
Western Athletic Conference Championship
Men's Cross-Country Claims 5th Straight WAC Crown; Women Finish Runner Up in Orem
11/1/2024 11:46:00 AM | Cross Country & Track
OREM, UT--- The California Baptist University cross-country team kicked off its Championship season with the men defending its title for the fifth consecutive season and the women finishing strong as the runner-up in the 6K on Saturday morning in Orem.
The Women's 6K kicked off the Championship Saturday, with CBU finishing comfortably as the runner-up for the second straight season with 63.0 points. The young squad performed well, with six runners finishing in the top 20, including two in the top 10. Grad Student Yasna Petrova was the top finisher for CBU, posting an 8th place finish at a time of 20:32.62 and earning First Team All-WAC honors for the third time in her illustrious career. Ava Dyck continued her strong freshman campaign with a 10th-place finish and also earned First Team honors. Sini-Sofia Rajaniemi, Karolina Bliujute, Ceyda Pinar, and Eleonara Visnevskyte all earned second-team honors by finishing in the top 20 for CBU.
"The women did an awesome job in a very good field," remarked Head Coach Sean Smith. "With the youth we have in this group, it makes me excited thinking about the future. I'm really proud of the women holding down a runner-up finish and, in a different way, matching the way they were able to achieve last season."
The men finished a successful day for the Lancers by defending their title for the fifth straight season. CBU has not lost their WAC crown since 2019 and placed at least five runners in the top 10 for the third time in program history. The win for CBU was a close, with the Lancers holding off Southern Utah by nine points with 29 to SUU's 38. Every runner who finished for the Lancers crossed the line in the top 20 and earned some hardware.
Zouhair Redouane, as he has all season, paced the Lancers and finished third in the race to claim First Team honors and the WAC Freshman of the Year. CBU has now claimed the Freshman of the Year in consecutive season after Valentin Soca did so last season. Soca, Daniel Abdala, and Pedro Marin finished right behind Redouane in 4th, 5th, and 6th place, respectively. Victor Rosas paced the All-WAC Second Team group, finishing 11th with a time of 23:52.57. Rosas was joined by Gabriel Guzman, Massimiliano Berti, and Ernesto Ruiz on the list.
"The men's race was significantly more exciting than what we expected coming in. We were trying to be conservative in the race, but of course, wanting to win while still thinking about Regionals and NCAA's. Victor came in clutch for us and helped round out our scoring, and other guys stepped up when we needed them the most," said Coach Smith
NEXT: The Lancers will have two weeks off before heading to Colfax, Washington, for the DI West Regionals.
Players Mentioned
