2024 All-PacWest Teams

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Leading Academy of Art women's cross country in each of the team's seven races this season including a top-10 finish at the Pacific West Conference Championship, senior Grace Southern concluded her 2024 campaign by being recognized among the All-PacWest First Team honorees in an announcement by the conference.

After opening the year with the fourth-fastest 5k (18:38.34) in Academy of Art history at the Seawolf Invitational (Sept. 9), Southern spent the Kim Duyst Twilight Invitational (Sept. 14) contending with several of the runners she later faced in the NCAA postseason en route to earning her first of two PacWest Runner of the Week honors. The Textile Design major then added not only her second conference award, but was named USTFCCCA DII National Athlete of the Week for her impressive individual victory and second-fastest career 6k time (20:58.6) at the Cougar Challenge (Sept. 28).

Southern followed up the performance by finishing among the top six in two races, the SF State Invitational (Oct. 11) and Bronco Invitational (Oct. 19), of more than 100 competitors. At the PacWest Championship on Oct. 26, the native of Middletown, Calif. delivered her third-fastest 6k mark of the year, going 21:24.3 for seventh overall then went on to claim the 39th spot at NCAA Division II West Regionals on Nov. 9.

This is the second cross country All-PacWest Team selection for Southern in her career after she was on the Second Team in 2023.