Since the beginning of October, Azusa Pacific University has achieved numerous triumphant victories this month.
In early October last week, many hard-working athletes showed their efforts., Juan Diego Castro was honored individually at the UCR International race this weekend; the women’s volleyball team defeated Westmont 3-1, while the men’s and women’s soccer teams emerged victorious against Dominican.
Women’s Swimming and Diving:
The Cougars started with the women’s swimming & diving on Monday. Our team is heading off with a promising start to this upcoming season. Freshman Kya Guiekma and returning All-American Montana White contributed to four replay teams earning first-place finishes at the PCSC Pentathlon and Relays. Also, returning All-American Aleena Herrera contributed to three first-place finishes that day.
Herrera, Guikema and White earned first place in the 3×500 replay with a time of 15:33.42.
In the day’s final events, Azusa Pacific claimed two more first-place finishes, having a robust start for the competitive first meet.
Men’s Cross Country:
Senior Juan Diego Castro was considered PacificWest Runner of the Week on Monday. Castro was rewarded with individual honor after placing 16th overall at the UCR Invitational race. He established a time of 24:05:8. Even though at the second split of the race, Castro noticed himself at No. 42. He worked his way past 26 spots during the race.
The Cougars were ranked No. 17 in the latest national poll and placed eighth in the competition. Furthermore, Azusa Pacific beat Division II ranked teams in Lee (Tn.), ranked No. 9 in the latest poll, and Pittsburg State, which is currently No. 22.
Women’s Volleyball
Azusa Pacific dropped to 7-8 overall and 4-3 in PacWest play after the Cougars were beaten by four sets at Point Loma on Tuesday evening.
The Cougars fell behind Point Loma 25-17 during the first set. In the second set, the Cougars fought the score being 24-22 until the Cougars were into the game, pulling out a 27-25 set win. Palmpust won the final point of the set for the Cougars with a kill, which Trinitee Carroll assisted.
Point Loma took the lead initially in the third set, scoring three or more points on five occasions, leading to the set victory.
Although Azusa Pacific was in the lead by 6-5 in the fourth set, Point Loma quickly stepped up their game to get a 7-6, ensuring their victory.
Many fans eagerly anticipated the rematch between Azusa Pacific and Westmont in the conference. Their previous encounter occurred on November 8, 2011, and many Cougar fans highly anticipated the outcome of their latest battle on Friday.
Azusa Pacific won their 15th consecutive victory with a straight-set win that day.
On this day, the Cougar earned a 3-1 win against Westmont.
The Cougars had a solid start in the first set, taking an outstanding 16-6 lead score. Unfortunately, during the second set, victory was taken by The Westmon with a 25-17.
During the early third set, the Warriors held a 3-2 lead, but the Cougars scored nine points, resulting in a 12-5.
Even though the Warriors managed to catch 16-13 with this considerable gap, Senior Annaka Jorgenson quickly reacted to this change and made it to 19-13. The third-set final resulted in a 25-21 securing victory.
In the fourth set, which might have determined the fifth set again, Westmon. But in the final, Westmont made errors, giving APU the chance to reserve, scoring 25-22 against Westmont, resulting in the victory for APU.
Men’s Soccer:
On Saturday evening, the men’s soccer continued their season with a win against Dominic University.
Senior Issaka Salifu passed the ball to freshman Mario Shuteriqi, who scored, bringing APU 1-0 against the Dominican in the second half.
APU scored again when Salifu fought off a Dominican defender and found the back of the net, bringing the score to 2-0.
The Dominican team had several opportunities to score a goal, but APU’s goalkeeper, Leo Moreno, managed to save all seven shots during the game, resulting in the Cougar victory.
Women’s Soccer:
There was also a women’s soccer game against the Dominican on Saturday evening, where the Cougars won 2-1.
Early in the game, the Dominican found themselves a reasonable opportunity for a shot, resulting in a goal during the 20th minute.
This setback didn’t prevent our APU soccer team from losing, as they made a comeback in the second half. Senior Bethany Tees scored two goals during the second half, securing both APU team wins against Dominican.