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ARLINGTON, Texas – California Baptist was selected on both the men’s and women’s sides as the pre-championship favorite entering the 2025 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Cross Country Championships on Oct. 31 at the Harold Patterson Sports Center in Arlington. The Lancers won the men’s championship 8K and finished as the team runner-up in the women’s 6K at Lakeside Park in Orem, Utah in 2024.

Defending WAC women’s champion Utah Valley was selected second in the pre-championship rankings, alongside the Wolverine men’s team. Southern Utah, the 2024 WAC 8K runner-up, was slotted third in the men’s pre-championship rankings while host UT Arlington checked in third in the women’s pre-championship rankings.
 
2025 WAC CROSS COUNTRY PRE-CHAMPIONSHIPS POLLS
 
2025 WAC Men’s Cross Country Pre-Championship Coaches’ Poll
 

Rank	Team
1.	California Baptist
2.	Utah Valley
3.	Southern Utah

 
2025 WAC Women’s Cross Country Pre-Championship Coaches’ Poll
 

Rank	Team
1.	California Baptist
2.	Utah Valley
3.	UT Arlington

 
CBU, UVU LOOK TO DEFEND TEAM CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
CBU captured its fifth straight WAC men’s cross country team title last November in Orem, scoring 29 team points in the 8K championship race to outpoint Southern Utah and its 38 points. Utah Valley’s Mohamed Guled captured the individual men’s 8K title with a time of 23:07.08, besting runner-up Santiago Gaitan from Southern Utah and his time of 23:16.31.

Utah Valley won its fifth WAC women’s cross country team championship at the 2024 meet, tallying the minimum of 15 points after the top six finishers to cross the finish line all represented the Wolverines. Anna Martin became the third different Utah Valley individual WAC cross country champion, capturing the 2024 6K win with a time of 19:51.40.

CBU COULD EXTEND HISTORIC STREAK OF WAC TEAM WINS
With a team win in Arlington, CBU would become just the second men’s program in the history of the WAC to win six consecutive team titles in cross country. UTEP swept the podium at the meet from 1973-83, with the Lancers currently tied with Utah State and its five straight championships from 2005-09 for second place.

The 2025 edition of the WAC Cross Country Championships is guaranteed to feature the sixth straight first-time men’s and women’s individual medalists. Wyoming’s John Wodny and his three individual wins in 1986, 1987 and 1989 were the most solo titles in WAC history, while BYU’s Janeth Caizalitin captured victories in three straight WAC championships from 1993-95 and New Mexico State’s Courtney Schultz did the same from 2009-11.

WAC IN THE NATIONAL, REGIONAL RANKINGS
CBU was included in the most recent USTFCCCA DI Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll that was released on Oct. 20, checking in 17th in the country. The Lancers were also ranked third in the West Region of the most recent polling. Other WAC men’s programs featured in the regional rankings were Utah Valley (seventh, Mountain Region), Abilene Christian (10th, South Central Region), Tarleton State (13th, South Central Region) and UT Arlington (14th, South Central Region).

On the women’s side, CBU spent multiple weeks receiving votes in the USTFCCCA DI Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll and was slotted sixth in the West Region as of the most recent update on Oct. 20. Other WAC squads featured in the regional rankings were Utah Valley (ninth, Mountain Region) and UT Arlington (11th, South Central Region).

ABOUT THE HAROLD PATTERSON SPORTS CENTER
The Harold Patterson Sports Center will host its first WAC Cross Country Championships during the 2025 conference meet. The city park venue measures over 135 acres in total size and hosts league fields for baseball, softball and soccer. The complex earlier this year hosted multiple University Scholastic League (UIL) region preview and championships high school meets leading into the WAC conference championship meets.