Here is a recap of this past week of APU Athletics.
Last week was packed with six sporting events for the Cougars, featuring two sweeps and a win against rival Biola. Here’s a recap of all the action that took place in week four of APU sports.
Men’s soccer
September 21 – W, 3-1 vs Biola
Despite taking a slight dip in their national ranking down from fifth to number seven, the Cougars set an example out of rival Biola in this non-conference matchup. APU wasted no time in the first half, getting ahead 2-0 thanks to goals in the 2nd and 39th minute by senior James Ndubueze and sophomore Elisha Burbridge. This was followed by junior Victor Ramos scoring in the second half to mount the lead even further. Though Biola was able to come away with a goal of their own late in the match, the damage was already done as the Cougars came away with a 3-1 victory.
Women’s soccer
September 22 – L, 0-2 vs Sonoma State
Riding a four game win streak, the Cougars looked to keep their momentum going against nationally ranked Sonoma State. Unfortunately for APU, it was not their day as their opponent was able to score in both halves while holding them to a shutout. Despite this setback, the Cougars finished non-conference play with a very solid 5-2 record and look to bounce back on their upcoming road trip to Hawai’i Hilo.
Women’s volleyball
September 23 – W, 3-0 vs Holy Names
The Cougars win streak extended to seven after a clean sweep against Holy Names. It was a great team effort led by Sophomore Annaka Jorgenson’s 12 kills, 23 assists from Senior Mina Andjelkovic and Sophomore Kyra Palmbush’s four blocks. Holy Names was only able to close the deficit by two points as the Cougars won each set 25-21, 25-23 and 25-11, respectively.
September 24 – W, 3-0 vs Dominican (CA)
The Cougars kept their winning streak going with another sweep in their PacWest season. APU was able to keep the momentum away from Dominican, winning each set 25-16, 25-7 and 25-22. Thanks to sophomore Maggie Nielsen’s 23 assists, the Cougars had no problem generating offense as sophomores Annaka Jorgenson, Delaney Dunman and Ionna Georgatzi combined for 24 kills. With this victory, APU remains undefeated in conference play and improves their record to 9-3.
Women’s cross country
September 25 – 5th place at Cougar Challenge
On Saturday, APU traveled down to CSU San Marcos to race a 6k in the Cougar Challenge which featured nationally ranked Chico State and CSU Stanislaus. The Cougars were able to put two runners in the top five, led by a personal best of 21:16 from junior Mikayla Akers and sophomore Justine Stecko following close behind with a strong time of 21:17. APU’s scoring five was rounded out by solid performances from sophomore Molly Hake, freshman Kristilyn Hetherington and sophomore Olivia Segura. With a fifth place finish against some of the best teams in the nation, the Cougars look to keep trending upward in two weeks at Pomona-Pitzer Invitational.
Men’s cross country
September 25 – 5th place at Cougar Challenge
The Men’s Cross Country also competed at the Cougar Challenge this past weekend, racing an 8k against a field that contained three nationally ranked squads. Sophomore Nixon Korir and freshman Michael Schneider both dipped under 25 minutes, allowing them to finish in the top ten. They were followed by a strong pack of Cougars that saw six more runners break 26 minutes on the five mile course. This allowed APU to finish fifth, nearly upsetting CSU Stanislaus (#10) who edged them out by one point. With another solid team effort, the Cougars will see on September 29 if they will enter the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational as a nationally ranked team. It would be the first time as a ranked team in program history since their move to Division 2.