RESULTS
(WAIPAHU, Oahu) PLNU Women's Cross Country continued its upward trajectory as a program, finishing as runner-up at Saturday's PacWest Championships at the Hawai'i Country Club.
"I'm really proud of our team," Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Jake Poyner said. "Their word for the race was 'relentless' and we saw some great examples of that."
For the fifth-straight year, Point Loma improved its finish at the conference meet from the year before, placing second to surpass last season's third-place finish.
"More so than how they competed, we're grateful to see their heart for one another on display and their desire to continue moving the needle competitively for each other was evident this morning," Poyner said.
Maddie Reeves (21:46.7) finished third individually, a year after placing fourth, after being in the lead pack from the very start.
The three-time All-PacWest honoree is the second Sea Lion all-time to have multiple top-5 individual finishes at the PacWest Championships, and the third in program history to earn First Team All-PacWest recognition multiple times.
Zaila Smith joined Reeves in the top-10, improving upon her 12th-place finish last year by crossing the line in 10th (22:15.8) to earn her second All-Conference Second Team nod in two seasons at PLNU.
Bree Gentry (13th – 22:20.9) and
Jocelyn Gibson (19th – 22:29.5) also were recognized as All-PacWest recipients, garnering Second Team and Third Team honors respectively.
Gentry finished 23rd last season and improved by 10 spots this year to earn her first career All-Conference nod, while Gibson caught nine runners in the second half of the race to become PLNU's first freshman All-PacWest honoree since 2021.
Point Loma's four All-PacWest honorees are its most since 2018.
Elizabeth Satterlee (24th – 22:50.5) rounded out PLNU's scoring five, while
Lia-Luisa Markert (29th – 23:00.9) and
Michelle Ramos (32nd – 23:10.8) played crucial roles in displacing runners from other teams to help the Sea Lions to their best PacWest finish since 2018.
"On a course that was significantly more technical in the second half than the first, they moved up well and closed with composure," Poyner said.
Point Loma will hope to carry its momentum into the NCAA West Regionals, set for Nov. 8 in Monmouth, Oregon at Ash Creek Preserve.
"We are excited about the upcoming opportunity to continue representing this university within the NCAA at the West Regionals," Poyner said. "Our crew will tell you they are not done yet, and we're excited about the momentum we will carry into our next competitive endeavor."
POSTRACE INTERVIEW
