The PacWest Conference Championships will be held April 25 & 26 at Fresno Pacific University (FPU), featuring some of the top Division II programs in the country. Azusa Pacific University (APU) looks to extend its dominant run, aiming to capture yet another title on both the men’s and women’s sides.
APU hasn’t lost a conference title since 2016, remaining the powerhouse of the PacWest in track and field. The Cougars have a firm grip on the men’s distance events since they are the reigning cross country PacWest champs. Biola University will look to score big in the distance events as they won the women’s cross country championship back in the Fall.
The meet will kick off with an exciting 4x100m relay, where FPU holds the top-seeded times for both men and women, with APU right behind them in second. The same holds true for the 4x400m relays. FPU’s relays feature two standout female athletes—Sariyah Copeland and Brianna Green—who are both ranked in the top 20 nationally in Division II.
The women’s 1500m will have three athletes in the field having broken the 4:30 barrier. On the men’s side, the 1500m is stacked, with nearly every entrant having run under 4 minutes—and a handful even dipping under 3:50. It’s expected to be one of the fastest races of the meet.
In the women’s 800m, Lina Hanich of Academy of Art leads the field with a stellar 2:03.60, closely followed by APU’s Olivia Alexandre at 2:05. Both are ranked in the top 10 nationally.
Shemar Palmer, currently ranked third in the nation in both the 200m and 400m, will be one to watch in his signature events. He will also be the 1st leg on the 4x400m. The top three seeds for the final relay—FPU, APU, and Academy of Art— are all entered at 3:10. Each team features an athlete ranked in the top 20 nationally in the 400m.
In the field events, Dejan Mileusnic will throw the javelin for FPU and currently sits at #3 in the nation. APU’s Eliana Saunders, along with two of her teammates, will compete in the high jump—all three are ranked among the nation’s top 20. Jasmyn Crawford of Concordia-Irvine (CUI), ranked fifth nationally in the long jump, will be eyeing an individual conference title. APU’s Hannah Richardson will compete in both the shot put and hammer throw—she’s currently ranked #1 in the nation in the shot put, making her efforts among the most anticipated in the field events.
– Demi Marine
