SCC Women’s Hopes of Berth Fade

The Southern California College women’s cross-country team had hopes of qualifying for the NAIA national championships for the first time this season, but the Vanguards will compete without their top two runners in the Golden State Athletic Conference Championships today.

Nikee Chambers, a fifth-year senior who got married during the summer, is pregnant and doctors have advised her to stop running. Last season, as Nikee Pool, she finished third in the conference and 42nd at the national championships.

Maribel Delgado, a freshman from Santa Ana Valley, has a sciatic nerve injury and has been sidelined for nearly the entire season.

“It’s been kind of a tough season for us,” SCC Coach Bryan Wilkins said.

But Wilkins said senior Erin Culver has a chance to qualify for the national meet by finishing among the top five at the GSAC Championships at Westmont College. He said senior Larry Holland and freshmen Josh Schultz and Matt Wheeler have been running well and could qualify in the men’s race.

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More cross-country: The Chapman men’s and women’s teams had their best performances of the season at the Cal Poly Pomona Bronco Invitational last Saturday. Chris Hyink finished 42nd in 27 minutes 10 seconds, a personal best for eight kilometers. Pilar Gordillo (19:38 for 5K, 41st) and Tara McGranahan (19:48, 49th) led the women’s team. The top five Panther men and women recorded season-best times.

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Men’s soccer: Eddie Perez returned to the Chapman lineup Sunday after a four-game absence because of an ankle injury and scored two goals in a 2-0 victory over Westminster (Utah).

Perez scored both the goals on headers, each after a pass from Jeremy Eile.

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Football: Chapman’s Mario Acosta leads the NCAA Division III in punting average. Acosta has a 46.0 yard average in 24 punts. Cal Lutheran’s Jeff Shea is second with 45.1 in 39 punts.