HILO, Hawai'i — Hawai'i Pacific University turned in an impressive showing at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo Cross Country Invitational on Saturday, with the men's team capturing the team title and the women's squad showing continued improvement across the board.

On the men's side, the Sharks dominated the 6-kilometer course at Naniloa Golf Course, placing three runners in the top four and finishing with a winning team score of 33 points. Senior Aaron Garcia led the charge with a commanding individual victory in 22 minutes, 4.2 seconds, crossing the line more than 18 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. Teammates Ray Gottschalk (third, 22:29.2) and Aaron Humphries (fourth, 22:37.2) packed close behind, while Philip Stavnem (ninth, 23:57.2) and Ricky Gutierrez (16th, 30:22.4) rounded out the scoring five.

The strong team effort propelled Hawai'i Pacific past Hilo Run Club (43) and Chaminade (45), giving the Sharks the overall title with an average time of 24:18.

On the women's side, the Sharks earned fourth place but continued to show progress with a balanced team effort. Cheyenne Broughton led the squad with a 13th-place finish in 27:09.5, followed closely by Sophie Hanson (14th, 27:41.8) and Isabel Acosta Figueredo (15th, 27:57.8). Elisabeth Ray (20th, 31:56.1) and Kaitlynn Rice (22nd, 33:43.5) completed the scoring group, while Izzy Werner (24th, 43:22.2) added depth for the Sharks.

Hawai'i Pacific's women's contingent combined for a total team time of 2:28:28.7, demonstrating improvement in team cohesion and pacing as the season progresses.

Next up, the Sharks will host the PacWest Conference meet on Oct. 25th at 8 a.m. at the Hawai'i Country Club.