Cross Country Finishes Out WAC Championship, Villa Earns First Team All-WAC

OREM, UTAH – The ACU Cross Country teams delivered notable performances at the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championships hosted in Orem, Utah. Competing on a brisk fall day, the Wildcats displayed resilience across challenging 6K and 8K courses against competitive fields. The women's 6k took place at 11 a.m. (CT) this morning, with the men's 8k starting quickly after at 11:45 a.m. (CT).

The ACU Women's team achieved a 7th-place finish in the team standings, with freshman Audrey Chitwood leading the Wildcats, securing 31st place with a time of 22:09.54. Senior Katelyn Coldicott followed closely, finishing 38th in 22:24.41, while junior Peyton Bornstein completed the course in 22:32.46 for 41st. Rounding out ACU's top five scorers were Charley Hamilton (22:40.51, 45th) and Kate Williams (22:44.31, 48th), demonstrating the team's depth and cohesion throughout the race.

"Our women's team ran well," said head coach Nathan Meeuwenberg. "We got unlucky with Hannah Kasper's sickness yesterday but she finished and the rest of the women stepped up. Really proud of the group and how they raced tough towards the end of the race."

On the men's side, ACU achieved a 5th-place team ranking, led by a standout performance from freshman Andruw Villa, who finished 10th with a time of 23:51.72 and earned First Team All-Conference honors in recognition of his impressive debut season. Villa's efforts were supported by freshman Mark Barajas, who crossed the line in 28th at 24:44.18, and sophmore Mikhail Fortner, who finished 35th in 25:03.98. Freshman Carlos Cortez (25:25.20, 42nd) and junior Jacob Russell (26:06.94, 56th) rounded out ACU's top five scorers, helping the Wildcats secure their place in the upper half of the standings.

Men raced the most complete race of the season," Meeuwenberg said. "We weren't picked top 5 from the coaches and we were 5 pts out of 4th overall. Andruw did what Andruw did all season, but Mark Barajas ran his best race of the season. Mikhail and Carlos also ran their best races. The future is unbelievably bright with this group."

Villa has been a trailblazer in his collegiate career being able to set a new program record in the 8k category on October 18 at the Arturo Barrios Invitational in College Station. Villa beat the 8K record that was set in 2007 by Nicodemus Naimadu, with the new record being 23:11.1.

"Andruw continues to improve," said Meeuwenberg. "We knew he was a very talented individual who was going to elevate this program, and he has continued to do that. His future is obviously bright, we have big goals and we're going to chase them."

Live Results for the WAC Championship can be found at meettrax.com. 

Men's 8K Results (ACU):

1. Andruw Villa – 23:51.72 (10th overall)

2. Mark Barajas – 24:44.18 (28th overall)

3. Mikhail Fortner – 25:03.98 (35th overall)

4. Carlos Cortez – 25:25.20 (42nd overall)

5. Jacob Russell – 26:06.94 (56th overall)

6. Zachary Martin – 26:10.51

7. Benjamin Castro – 26:37.92

8. Vincent Luffey – 26:43.48

Men's Team Results:

1. Southern Utah

2. California Baptist (CBU)

3. Utah Valley

4. Utah Tech

5. Abilene Christian (ACU)

6. UT-Arlington

7. Tarleton State 

8. Grand Canyon

9. Seattle University

Women's 6k Results (ACU):

1. Audrey Chitwood – 22:09.54 (31st overall)

2. Katelyn Coldicott – 22:24.41 (38th overall)

3. Peyton Bornstein – 22:32.46 (41st overall)

4. Charley Hamilton – 22:40.51 (45th overall)

5. Kate Williams – 22:44.31 (48th overall)

6. Hadley Phillips – 22:57.54

7. Hannah Kasper – 25:37.51

8. Alyssa Quinones – 26:30.84

Women's Team Results:

1. Utah Valley

2. California Baptist (CBU)

3. Southern Utah

4. Seattle University

5. UT-Arlington

6. Utah Tech

7. Abilene Christian (ACU)

8. Grand Canyon

9. Tarleton State