California Baptist University
Western Athletic Conference
Ava Dyck and Valentin Soca Bring Home Individual Titles on Championship Saturday
5/17/2025 9:13:00 PM | Cross Country & Track
ARLINGTON, TX--- The California Baptist University track team closed out the 2025 Western Athletic Conference Championships on Saturday afternoon with a pair of individual champions and eight total All-WAC finishers.
Championship Saturday for the Lancers began with the 1500M's, with CBU having multiple runners in both the men's and women's divisions. The men got the party started with a dominant showing that saw the Lancers take the top two spots on the podium via Valentin Soca and Pedro Marin. The 1-2 finish marks the third straight season the Lancers have claimed the top two spots in the Men's 1500M and the second time Soca has been the Individual Champion. Soca put together a terrific race and utilized a late kick to claim the crown, finishing with a time of 3:46.36 in the Texas heat. Marin was not far behind him at 3:48.27. CBU would have two more All-WAC finishers as Finn Anspach and Daniel Abdala would finish 6th and 7th, respectively.
On the women's side of the 1500M, Laura Acuna would bring home Second Team All-WAC honors with a sixth-place finish at a time of 4:30.68. Helena Mees would finish one spot out of All-WAC contention in ninth place at a time of 4:36.28. Acuna would double up with All-WAC performances by placing third in the 800M finals an hour later with a finishing time of 2:11.73. The time was a new personal best for Acuna, besting her time on Friday by 0.40 seconds.
In the 5K's, the men would have two runners in the top 10, including an All-WAC performance from Victor Rosas, who also earned Second Team All-WAC in the 10K on Thursday night. Rosas finished fifth in the finals with a time of 14:49.20. Roberto Castro Lara would come in tenth at 15:12.92 while Talon Rodriguez and Evan McReynolds would come across the line in 26th and 28th, respectively. For the women, it was all about Ava Dyck, who would put together a masterful performance that saw her separate from the pack over the final 800 meters to bring home the Individual crown. Dyck clocked in at 16:53.31 in unideal conditions to claim the title and will now have to wait until the official regional selections are announced to see if her phenomenal freshman season will continue. Helena Mees would be the next finisher for the women in tenth place, while Ana Mees and Eleonara Visnevskyte would both finish inside the top 20.
Overall, the Lancers would have 11 All-WAC finishers and two individual champions, their most since 2023. The women would finish with 27 points off of just distance events, while the men would have 36 points, their most since 2022. At the present moment, the Lancers have four West Regional qualifiers and will hope for one or two more additions before the official qualifiers are announced tomorrow afternoon.
NEXT: The Lancers will compete in the NCAA West Regionals from May 28-31, hosted by Texas A&M.
Players Mentioned
