FRESNO, CA- The Soka Lions competed at the California Pacific Conference Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1, 2021, at Woodward Park, in Fresno, CA, and produced fifth-place finishes for both their men's and women's squads.

The men opened up the day's events with their 8K Race. Soka's Naoki Kasai finished first for the Lions with a time of 27:32.4, placing 20^th overall. Jordan Bravo was the next Lion to cross the finish line with a time of 28:09.7, followed by Randall Lindenmayer (30:10.6), Kory Brown (31:04.6),  Adrian Echavarria (32:11.5), Ryota Kamiuchi (32:56.0), Gudy Castillo (34:02.9),  and Kofi Sarkodie with a time of 35:08.3.
 
Embry-Riddle finished in first place with 21 points. UC Merced finished in second place with 50 points, while Cal Maritime finished third with 129 points. The Soka Lions' fifth-place finish generated 144 points, placing them ahead of the University of Antelope Valley, Park University Gilbert, Sierra Nevada, And Pacific Union College.

"Going into the men's race, I felt like we had to potential to have one of, if not our best, team finishes at the Cal Pac Conference meet ever," said Head Coach Patrick Boivin. "The men's team took that to heart and battled hard throughout the race. Embry-Riddle and UC Merced showed they both belong among the top few teams in the nation, but the battle for 3rd place between the rest of the field was close. For the Lions, a few rough injuries to our top runner Randy and one of our great new first-years, Andre, were the deciding factors between a 3rd place finish and a fifth-place result. We will walk away from this knowing we will be bringing an even stronger team next year, and we'll be ready to challenge anyone in the conference."
 
In the women's 5K race, Soka's Naomi Otsuka generated a 19^th place finish crossing in first for Soka with a final time of 20:52.0. Miranda Lam (21:54.7) placed 25^th and was the second Lion to finish, followed by Hiromi Hashide  (23:08.2), Monica Donayre (23:16.2),  Wendy Wimmer (24:02.7),  Clam Belisle (24:45.8), and Vitoria Robles (25:20.3).
 
Embry-Riddle finished in first place with 17 points, UC Merced finished in second place with 52 points, and Park University Gilbert finished third with 91 points. Overall, the Soka Lions' fifth-place finish produced 137 points, scoring ahead of Cal Maritime, University of Antelope Valley, and Pacific Union.
"I was really proud of the way our women's team ran in this race," said Head Coach Patrick Boivin. "We had a good team talk about challenging themselves on this course, and I think every one of them rose to that challenge. There was definitely a look in their eyes and an attitude to how they raced, which showed in their performances. It was awesome to see our seniors Naomi, Wendy, and Clam really leave it all out on the course."
 
 
Additionally, as an NAIA Five-Star Conference of Character, the following individuals were honored by their respective cross country teams for being the best examples of Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Sportsmanship, and Servant-Leadership during the 2021 season.
  
ANTELOPE VALLEY
Jasmine Estrada
Alvara Heredia
  
CSU MARITIME
Sarai Alonso
Harry Bragg
  
EMBRY-RIDDLE
Meah Wilson
Jacob Kaufmann
  
LA SIERRA
Alexa Martinez
Ryan Hernandez
  
MARYMOUNT CALIFORNIA
Deana Takaoka
Herbert Grageda
  
PACIFIC UNION
Anzarath Chavez Duron
Josue Hilario
  
PARK-GILBERT
Sevilla Groebe
Manuel Najera
  
SIMPSON
Joy Taylor
Timothy Isenberg
  
SIERRA NEVADA
Brien Hosier
  
SOKA UNIVERSITY
Clam Belisle
Randall Lindenmayer
  
UC MERCED                                    
Kate Larios
Noah Vasquez  
 
WESTCLIFF
Mikaielle Vargas
Cameron Blankenship