Westmont Men’s and Women’s Cross Country competed against their conference foes on Saturday morning in Irvine, when the Warriors took part in their second PacWest Championships.

For Westmont’s men in the conference 8K, a pair of All-PacWest athletes led the Warriors to a fourth-place finish out of 11 schools. In the women’s 6K, the Warriors finished in seventh place out of 13 schools.

For the men, senior Zola Sokhela added another feather to his cap with a First All-PacWest performance. On Saturday, the South African finished the race in fifth place overall, finishing with a time of 24:11.9.

“As a team, it was a good performance,” reflected Sokhela. “The build-up to this race was so good, so there wasn’t a whole lot that needed to be said leading up. Everyone was on the same page, with a positive mindset, and we were really optimistic to see what we could do.

“On an individual level, of course I’m always trying to line-up for the win. I had to really push it with this group, though, and I’m still really happy with the outcome today. Especially with regionals coming up, I think the team and I are in a good place. I’m content, but I’m not satisfied.”

With a ninth-place finish, and second-consecutive All-PacWest campaign, was senior Bryce Gardhouse, who finished the meet with a time of 24:18.8.

In just two years in a Westmont uniform, the transfer has successfully etched his name as one of Westmont’s first great runners in the PacWest Conference.

“I just hung on,” said Gardhouse, “and I was able to put myself in a position to succeed today. The pace started ramping up, but I saw myself hang on, and I found myself in a position where I could do better than last year. The pace was hot, and I really impressed with how the team and I did.

“I went in with that senior mindset where it’s your last chance to go do something great, and I was able to capitalize on that feeling.”

While the top-21 runners earned All-PacWest honors, Westmont’s third runner, Luciani Koroshec, finished just behind that mark.

Still, with a 22nd place finish and a time of 25:11.3, a freshman who Russell Smelley labeled “the future” found a lot of positives in his first conference meet.

“It’s really motivating,” reflected Koroshec. “I didn’t come out today expecting to do that at all. I just ran my race, and afterwards looking at the results I realized like, ‘oh, I was one way’.

“Now I know that I’m up there in that All-PacWest realm, now it’s just a matter of carrying that over, and pushing that momentum into track season and next cross country season.”

Westmont’s fourth runner was Phin Bonner, who finished with a time of 25:20.7 in 28th place, while Westmont’s fifth was Thomas Reed, who came in 38th with a time of 25:49.4.

“The men competed well,” offered Smelley. “At these meets, you just want people to do what they are capable of, and that’s what they did today. They finished well, and actually did a little better than we thought they might.”

For Westmont’s women, the group was led by Sophie Stoddard, who came in 36th place with a time of 22:48.4 in the 6K.

Behind Stoddard was senior Landon Torres in 39th, who finished with a time of 22:56.2 in what is potentially the final race of her cross country career.

When asked what made her most proud of her Warrior teammates, the senior Torres said, “The way everyone wants to work hard for each other. This can often feel like an individual sport, but we really do this for our teammates. That will to race for the person alongside you is what makes me proud of the women I get to compete with.”

Abigail Hundely (23:43.1) and Molly Sandrige (22:46.6) came in back-to-back for Westmont in 48th and 49th place, while Sofia Kunstle rounded out the Warriors’ top-five with a time of 24:05.9 in a 55th place finish.

“The women have competed well all year,” affirmed Smelley. “They started out not being the strongest team, and have gotten better and better as the year has gone on. It’s gratifying to see them arrive in this conference meet, and with the hopes of doing better.”

Westmont will soon find out their plans regarding the NCAA Division II Westmont Regionals, which take place on November 9 in Billings, Montana.