November 2010 Update: On November 6th, the SUA women's cross country competed in the conference championships, which also serves as the qualifying meet for the NAIAs. The team went up against several top-10 teams in the conference and had a great showing, finishing in 4th place in the team standings. The top 4 runners ran as a pack throughout the race, staying together better than they had all year and pushing each other to the finish line. Of special note, sophomore Aileen Mokuria from Dallas, TX, registered the fastest time on the team, finishing the 5K in 20:49. "They ran as a team, went after it, and did the best they could. They weren't intimidated by the nationally ranked teams at all.." - Coaches Freeman and Boivin
The men's team also ran courageously in the meet, finishing in 4th place overall. The top 2 runners on the team ran with the lead pack from the starting gun and finished in 6th and 13th place individually. With their strong showings, freshmen Aaron Perry and Nicholas Spector qualified for NAIA national championships. This is the first time that Soka University will be sending runners to the national championships which will be held in Ft. Vancouver, Washington on 11/20/10. There will be a live video feed of the event on www.cascadeconference.org. Throughout the season, the men's team battled through injuries and adversity while training and competing valiantly. "This is just the start of bigger things to come. An opportunity to showcase SUA and represent the school and the kind of athletes we have."-Coaches Freeman and Boivin
October 2010 Update: Last Saturday on October 9th our team raced their hearts out at Vanguard University. It was a particularly hot day and they faced a very challenging course. Vanguard's course was made up of rolling hills and not to mention a steep hill at the end that the men had to attack twice in their 8K run. Despite this, our runners performed well and many even improved their times.
To highlight, Freshman Aaron Perry from nearby Irvine led the men's squad and improved his school record running 26.28. Fellow Freshman James Stucker and Senior Kenji Yamada were close behind and also improved their times. Yamada improved his time by 2 minutes! It goes without saying how impressive it is to improve their times on such a difficult course. "They continue to run well together and carry one another through tough races. They work very well together..." Head Coach Freeman.
For the ladies, Freshman Paige LaBlonde from Scottsdale, Arizona was the frontrunner followed by a pack of fellow classmates Angie Rosales, Rose Codilla, and Sarah Randolf. Also in the midst of this group was Senior Anri Tanabe who also delivered a strong performance. "Given the conditions and also the personal injuries that some of our runners are battling through, our team showed good perseverance. These obstacles did not shake their confidence or performance." Head Coach Freeman
September 2010 Update: The Soka University cross country team kicked off the season at the UCI Invite in Irvine on 9/11/10. This year's squad is the biggest that Soka has ever fielded, with a total of 25 runners. 9 women and 7 men competed at the UCI Invite. The course was a challenging one with many hills, highlighted by the final mile which was almost entirely uphill. Freshman runner Paige LaBlonde broke the previous school record of 20:21 in the women's 5K and was SUA's frontrunner with a time of 20:08. Fellow freshman teammate Rose Codilla also ran strong and followed closely with a time of 21:35.
On the men's side, freshman Aaron Perry smashed the school record in the 8K by a minute and a half, finishing in a time of 26:54. Freshman Nick Spector earned 2nd place with a time of 27:07, and Freshman James Strickland completed the sweep with a time of 28:01. And in his first season running ever cross country, Cole Gauthier also ran well, finishing with a time of 29:46. Head coach Gigi Freeman was extremely pleased with the results, calling the meet a "strong start to the season" and adding that she is "excited to see what this young team can do".
Assistant coach Patrick Bolvin also shared his thoughts. "Our runners showed that we are growing as a team. It's a solid first step and a good sign of things to come. It's always good when multiple people run well and have a good day." All in all, a very successful start to the season for this promising young squad.
2010 Cross Country Schedule
Date Meet Site
September
11 UC Irvine/ Asics Invitational UCI- ARC
26 Race for the Cure-Susan G. Komen Fashion Island-Newport Beach
October
9 Vanguard Invitational Fairview Park, Costa Mesa
16 Cal State San Marcos Cal State San Marcos
23 Biola University Irvine Regional Park, Orange
November
6 AII Conference Championships TBD
20 NAIA National Championships Portland/ Vancouver
2009-2010 Fall Schedule & Results
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Date |
Meet |
Site |
Results |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sep 12 |
UC Irvine / Asics Invitational |
UC Irvine - ARC |
Results |
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Sep 19 |
Westmont College |
Santa Barbara, CA |
Men's Results |
|
Women's Results |
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Oct 10 |
Vanguard Invitational |
Fairview Park, Costa Mesa |
Men's Results |
|
Women's Results |
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Oct 16 |
Cal State San Marcos |
Cal State San Marcos |
|
|
Women's Results |
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|
Oct. 24 |
Biola University |
Irvine Regional Park, Orange |
Men's Results |
|
Women's Results |
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Nov 7 |
AII Conference Championships |
Cal State San Marcos, CA |
Men's Results |
|
Women's Results |
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Nov 22 |
NAIA National CHampionships |
Portland, OR |
Results |