The women of Azusa Pacific have excelled in athletics throughout the years. These are the best of the best
Welcome to the second edition ultimate list of the most elite female athletes to ever come through Azusa Pacific University. The student-athletes of APU have been consulted and through much contemplation, the populus has come to the conclusion of who the greatest athletes of all time to ever wear brick and black are.
Acrobatics and Tumbling- Ashleigh Pitts class of 2018
To her team, Ashleigh Pitts was known as a selfless humble and insanely talented athlete. Most athletes in the sport of Acro and Tumbling performed in a specified role such as base, top, or tumbler; she was able to do all three. She was recognized by the NCATA as an All-American athlete twice and Player of the Week three times. On a meet to meet basis, she would typically score no less than a 9.8 out of 10 on her solo passes.
Basketball- Kelly Hardeman class of 2016
Kelly Hardeman, a four-sport athlete in high school at Faith Academy in Manila, Philippines, came to APU as a freshman in 2012 where she became an immediate starter and she was named Pacific West Conference Freshman of the Year. The 6-foot power player went on to become the program’s third all-time leading scorer at 1,847 points. She had the third-most career rebounds at 978 and scored 276 three-pointers breaking a school record. Hardeman declared for her professional career after her junior season where she signed a contract to play for BK Amager in Denmark which competes in the Dameligaen league – the nation’s premier league.
Cross country- Eileen Stressling class of 2018
Eileen Stressling is one of the most celebrated distance runners in APU’s history. Stressling is an 8-time NCAA All-American and 3-time PacWest champion. She has made her mark in the all-time top ten at APU for the mile (4:49.47/fifth), 3000 (9:29.54/second), 5000 (16:22.81/third), and 10,000 (34:25.31/second). Stressling is a 2-time runner of the year, she won the conference championship as a sophomore in 2015 with a 21:14.97, seven seconds ahead of the nearest runner. Stressling did it again as a senior in 2018 with a 21:14.8, 50 seconds ahead of the second-place runner.
Track and Field- Vivian Chukwuemeka class of 2006
Vivian Chukwuemeka was born in Nigeria and came to Azusa Pacific in 2002. APU has a rich tradition in welcoming native Nigerian’s to its California campus as five before Chukwuemeka went on to the Olympics. Vivian was a nine-time NAIA champion thrower at APU. She is noted as the greatest thrower in NAIA track and field history. Chukwuemeka broke every throwing NAIA record. Notably, she broke the NAIA hammer throw record with a 196’ 10”, demolishing the former mark by 15 feet. She holds the current African and Commonwealth record in the shot put at 60’ 4”.
Softball- Dawn Castaneda class of 1997
Dawn Castaneda is credited with pioneering the way for Cougar softball during her four-year career, making the program what it is today. Castaneda was the first Azusa Pacific softball player ever to be named NAIA First Team All-American. She was a three-time All-GSAC third baseman who led the team offensively for three of the four years she played. Castaneda set ten school records, including the program’s highest career batting average at .435, most career hits with 279, and longest hitting streak at 22 games. She led her team to 2 GSAC Championships and two fifth-place NAIA World Series standings.
Soccer- Kendra Payne class of 2000
Kendra Payne is the Cougar who became the standard for APU Soccer. Payne was the Women’s Soccer NAIA Player of the Year in 1998. She is the first four-time NAIA All-American in Cougar Women’s Soccer history. She holds the single-season record of 119 goals. Payne led her team to a perfect season and their first NAIA National Championship. She is the only three-time winner of the GSAC player of the year. Adding on to her accomplishments, she was also a three-time NAIA All-Tournament selection and twice named tournament MVP.
Swimming and Diving- Elodie Poo Cheong class of 2020
Elodie Poo Cheong is from Curepipe, Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean to the southeast of Africa. She came to APU in 2015 and during her sophomore year, she was selected to the Cougars NCAA National team and swam three relays where she broke the school record in the 100 freestyle with a 51.66. During her junior campaign, she qualified for the NCAA National Championships in the 800 freestyle relay team and 400-meter freestyle team that finished second at the PCSC relays. Elodie Poo Cheong also set a school record in the 100 freestyle with a time of 51.54 at the A3 Invitational and set 100 IM school record with a time of 58.74 at the Winter Invitational.
Tennis- Jennifer Dao class of 2007
Jennifer Dao is regarded as the women’s tennis player who made APU a powerhouse. Dao was a four-time NAIA All-American. She was a three-time NAIA semifinalist and played for the national title in 2004. Her team went 80-27 during her career, and Dao won a whopping 133 matches between singles and doubles play. She also went 68-20 with a career record in singles play, making her the winningest player in Cougar history.
Volleyball- Julianne Miller class of 2020
Julianne Miller, current senior for the Cougars, is the ultimate APU volleyball player. Standing at 6 foot 1 inch tall, she broke the record for most career blocks in the Pac-West with 395 and counting on her career. Miller was also named to AVCA All-West Region team for the past three years and is looking for a fourth. Last year she had a hitting percentage of .410 and had double-digits in kills in 16 games. Her team is currently 14-3 overall on the season and are on the hunt for a conference championship.
Water polo- Mar Pastor class of 2020
Originally from Madrid, Spain where she won a U-20 Spain National Championship bronze medal and a U-18 World Championship silver medal. She came to APU in 2016 where she made an immediate impact with 18 goals and 21 steals. During Pastor’s junior year she was an All-American, scoring 28 goals and drew 46 ejections. She has the school record for ejections drawn in a single season with 69. She was selected as a Second-Team All-American and she set the school record for exclusions drawn in a season with 76.