KANEOHE, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Pacific University closed the short 2021 Spring Cross Country season by winning top honors in both the women's and men's races at the PacWest Hawai'i Challenge on Saturday morning on the HPU Loa Campus.
 
Senior Robyn Kaltenbrunn won the women's race and led HPU to a 26-29 team victory over Hawai'i Hilo, while sophomore Jona Bodirsky won the men's race with HPU as the only full team competing.
 
Kaltenbrunn, of Johannesburg, South Africa, ran the 5-kilometer course in 20:55.4, sloshing through the rainy, wet conditions in windward Oahu. She was 54 seconds ahead of teammate Karen Corona Perez of Ocracoke, N.C./Ocracoke who was timed in 21:49.2.
 
But UH Hilo claimed the next three spots as Olivia Jarvis third in 22:18.5, and Leilani Stone fourth in 22:34.2.
 
HPU scored its third runner with junior Maggie Meeds of Anchorage, Alaska/South Anchorage snagging sixth in 22:54.9. After another Hilo spot, sophomore McKay Guckenberg of Eureka, Mont./Lincoln County finished eighth in 23:06.9 and sophomore Zamira Broadhust-Hall of Newark, N.J./Newark Tech wrapped up the HPU scoring in 10th with a 23:48.5.
 
The Sharks also had freshman Alyssa D'Arpa of North Potomac, Md./Wooton run the course in 24:50.7, junior Evelyn Macias of Keller, Texas/Timber Creek posted a 25:38.9 and freshman Alison Lorah of Walnutport, Pa./Northern Lehigh finished in 26:35.9.
 
For the men, Bodirsky of Rettingheim, Germany, took top honors by finishing almost a minute-and-a half before the rest of the field, clocking a time of 16:04.5 in the 5k. HPU teammate junior David Rutto of Eldoret, Kenya was second in 17:24.2, with Chaminade's Owen Daugherty running third in 17:52.4.
 
The next five runners were from HPU, with three scoring. Freshman Kuane Whitt of Mount Gilead, Ohio/Mansfield Christian was fourth with an 18:32.7, freshman Kent Glover of Trussville, Ala./Hewitt-Trussville fifth in 18:52.3, and sophomore Troy Oshimo of Honolulu/Kalani sixth in 19:02.3. Freshman Dominic Padre of Alameda, Calif./St. Joseph Notre Dame added a 19:07.2, freshman Ian Beals of Anchorage, Alaska/West Anchorage a 19:33.1, freshman Yadvinder Grewal of Union City, Calif./Logan a 20:18.8 and senior Cade Harrington of Galveston, Texas/Ball a 20:53.3.
 
The meet ended the season that was moved and abbreviated by the Covid pandemic, with no pauses for the three meet schedule.