A fall campaign that has seen tremendous progression comes to a head with the Academy of Art University men's and women's cross country teams heading to the Pacific West Conference Championships this weekend. However, with NCAA Regionals a week later, this will not be the final race for several Urban Knights. This year's championships will be hosted by Hawaii Pacific and are scheduled to be held this Saturday, Oct. 27 at the Kahuku Golf Course in Kahuku, HI. Times are set for the men's 8k race at 8:00 AM HST (11:00 AM PST) and the women's 5k at 9:00 AM HST (12:00 PM PST).

“This is the part of the season that we have prepared for,” assistant coach Torrey Olson said. “It's the part of the season where the teams are all in good shape and ready to go out and compete. It's less internal now and they get to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.”

Leading the way on the men's side has been the tandem of freshman Clemens Kammer and sophomore Jack Nevins. Kammer, who is getting his first taste of running cross country with a team, has excelled with times consistently around 25:50, a pair of second place finishes, and a lifetime best of 25:41.8 on Oct. 13 at the Bronco Open. Nevins, the squad's lone returner from last year, boasts two 13th place finishes and a new lifetime best also at Bronco which dropped over 10 seconds off the record time he previously had at last year's PacWest Championships.

“Coming in, Clemens had never run cross country races above 3,000 meters so 8,000 meters was much farther than he had ever raced before and I think he's really starting to learn that distance,”  Coach Olson said. “I think there is some big improvement ahead for him. Jack is really in a leadership position on the team so I've seen a lot of growth from him. He's much more active in how he's racing so likewise I think Jack has a lot of upside coming up in the next couple weeks.”

Crucial in the sport of cross country, it is the Urban Knights supporting cast who will ultimately determine the teams' end result. Sophomores Temarius Walker and Thomas Benson have both earned high praise for their progression this season while freshmen Austin Nash and Shaquille Howard both looks to continue their steady improvements as well. Walker had dropped numerous full minutes off his season-opening time and Benson has done the same with his lifetime best coming most recently at Santa Clara's Bronco Open.

“Temarius just keeps getting better at an exponential rate,” Coach Olson said. “He took 74 seconds off in the last 8k and that was his biggest improvement. He's gotten a lot better to the point where he's ready in his own right to go out and compete in the PacWest. Thomas has also been getting better in every race. He's PRed in every race so he's just going to continue. I'm excited about the men's side and I think we can go out and really try to beat some teams.”

Calling this “a new chapter” for the ART U men's team, Coach Ryan has continued to focus on why members of this year's squad are more than prepared to have their best races not only Saturday, but beyond as well.
“The first men's team here established a lot of quick success, but were not been built for the future,” Coach Ryan said. “The 2012 version of men's cross country is built for the future. We are young, talented, and motivated to establish a new reputation. Clemens and Jack have been the performance leaders all year, but Temarius and Thomas get better every week and I think just might shock some people.”

The men's team finds itself against some tough PacWest opponents in schools such as California Baptist (last year's champion), BYU-Hawaii (holder of the 2010 title), and Grand Canyon. Driven by their youthful energy, excitement, and a chance to hold their own against the opposition, the Academy of Art University men's cross country team remains poised for a strong conclusion to its first season as full NCAA members.

The ART U women's team has excelled all year and the Urban Knights come into Saturday fresh off a 2012 Bronco Open/Invitational in which five runners posted lifetime bests.

“There is no question that this is the best women's team we have ever had,” Coach Ryan said. “It is the best talent, best coaching staff, most focused, and the 2012 women's team has the best understanding of how to race as a team.”

Guided by the leadership of seniors Jenny Bergren and Zoë Meyers, Academy of Art University has worked hard to be better as a team in 2012. Bergren, a transfer from Cal Poly, has accepted every challenge thrown her way this year with a season highlighted by three Top 10 finishes (many against top Division I talent), a 1st place honor at the SF State Invitational, and a lifetime best (17:19.5) at Bronco most recently. Meyers, who transferred from Pomona College, has battled back from injury and remains determined to improve upon her lone 5k race, the USF Invitational (Sept. 3), this season.

“Jenny's been having a great season and, with that said, I think she still has yet to have that race where she puts every piece of the puzzle together on the same day,” Coach Olson said. “All year, the plan has been to do that in these next three races, PacWest, Regionals, and hopefully NCAA Championships, but it starts at PacWest. Zoë is the elder; the owl of the team which is really cool. She has been able to work through [an injury] well and I think she is very ready so I'm excited to see her out there racing again.”

Backing up Bergren and Meyers, a deep Urban Knights squad has had its share of highlights up and down the roster. Freshman Arianna Michaels and senior Cassandra Schumacher have strengthened the middle of the Academy of Art quintet with Michaels knocking nearly 30 seconds off her season-opening time and Schumacher offering a similar improvement. Junior Sophia Ditty, a former runner at the University of San Francisco, impressed in her ART U debut at Bronco (Oct. 13), posting a sub-19:50 time to capture 64th.

“Arianna has been making big strides all season and I think she really understands racing better than when she first got here so that's really great to see,” Coach Olson said. “I'm really excited to see what she can do and I think she will be a big factor for us out there. Cassandra has been getting better all year and Sophia has been great to have so it's all coming together.”

“We have great senior leadership; Jenny and Zoë's value to the team cannot be properly put into words,” Coach Ryan said. “The return of Cassandra was a huge piece of the puzzle as she was desperately missed last year. Arianna has been a flat out stud as a freshman; she has risen to every challenge and will now get to show that she is a championship runner. The late addition of Sophia Ditty was the answer to the missing link; she is mature, she is talented, she is race savvy.”

On Saturday morning, ART U women's cross country steps up to the challenge of running against a multi-talented collection of 13 other schools in the PacWest Conference. Although California Baptist, last year's champions, will be in the mix, the Lancers will also be contending with the likes of other strong programs such as Azusa Pacific and BYU-Hawaii.

“This is the first time that the Urban Knight women will walk into the PacWest Championships with a complete team,” Coach Ryan said. “They have been working so hard and I couldn't be more excited to see what they can do. We are the strongest we have ever been, and so is the conference. The influx of the new programs has made the PacWest a much tougher competition than when I first arrived. It should be a very exciting race.”

What do the Knights have to look forward to after the PacWest Championships? After becoming full-fledged members of the NCAA this past summer, Academy of Art University intends to send two of its men, Kammer and Nevins, along with a team of five women to NCAA Division II Regionals to be held one week later on the same course in Hawaii. More information will be forthcoming following the PacWest Championships.


“Championship running is so much different than the regular season races,” Coach Ryan said. “Cross country is a true team event where your team is ultimately defined by the performances of the bottom three rather than the top two. The mindset that I expect our team to take into both the PacWest and the NCAA Regionals is one of competence. It's not enough to be confident; you have to actually know what your plan is and how to execute it. Competence is what allows for true confidence. This is why I feel so good about where the team is because I know that Torrey and the volunteers have done their jobs so well. I know both teams are competent about their individual race plans, the team aspect of the meet, their preparation, etc. I could not be happier with the coaching job that has taken place this season, I have a great staff, and when you combine a great staff with talented, focused athletes, good results are usually quick to follow.”

Complete results and recap from the 2012 Pacific West Conference Cross Country Championships will appear right here on www.artuathletics.com following the races.