KAHUKU, Hawai'i – The Hawai'i Pacific University cross country season got underway Saturday at the University of Hawai'i Big Wave Invitational, with HPU winning the men's race and the women placing third at the Kahuku Golf Course.
 
The Shark men outscored Chaminade 19-38, taking four of the top five spots. The Shark women scored 71 points in finishing third behind Division I teams Hawai'i (24) and Pacific (Calif.) (42), but taking down Hawai'i Hilo (111) and Chaminade (143).
 
Junior Jona Bodirsky of Rettingheim, Germany literally ran away from the field in the men's 5 kilometer race, winning by more than two minutes over senior teammate David Rutto of Eldoret, Kenya who placed second. Bodirsky clocked a 15:40.24 ahead of Rutto's 17:49.75. HPU junior Troy Oshimo of Honolulu/Kalani was third in a time of 17:53.89. Sophomore Kent Glover of Trussville, Ala./Hewitt-Trussville placed fifth in 18:29.08. Freshman Logan Thomas of Tustin, Calif./Tustin placed eighth and rounded out the HPU scoring with a 19:19.67. The Sharks also added sophomore Ian Beals of Anchorage, Alaska/West Anchorage in ninth at 19:44.46 and freshman Zander Hassler of Temecula, Calif./Great Oak in 13th at 23:03.74.
 
Sharks super senior Robyn Kaltenbrunn of Johannesburg, South Africa was the first non-Division runner to finish the women's 5K course in a time of 20:26.83 to place ninth. The Sharks also had the second and third non-DI runners across as senior Maggie Meeds of Anchorage, Alaska/South Anchorage was 14th in 21:52.28 and senior Karen Corona Perez of Ocracoke, N.C./Ocracoke was 15th in 21:58.18. Sophomore Alyssa D'Arpa of North Potomac, Md./Wooton placed 20th with a 22:30.28 and freshman Emma Dominguez of Whittier, Calif./California HS was 21st in 22:32.26 to round out the Sharks scoring.
 
HPU also ran freshman Jacquelyn McEvoy of North Berwick, Maine/Noble who placed 25th in 23:14.01, junior McKay Guckenberg of Eureka, Mont./Lincoln County finished 28th in 23:32.66, freshman Leila Cheo-Issacs of Bound Brook, N.J./Ridge crossed 30th in 24:27.61 and senior Evelyn Macias of Keller, Texas/Timber Creek clocked a 25:48.51 in 34th.
 
The Sharks men and women will race again on Saturday, Sept. 18, at the UC Riverside Invitational on the mainland. HPU was scheduled to run next Friday in the UH Hilo Invitational, but that race has been postponed to a date to be announced in October.