Think the UAA men's cross-country team had no competition Saturday in Hawaii, where the Seawolves posted a perfect score by producing the top five finishers in the race?
Think again.
Race winner Edwin Kangogo had all he could handle in the five-kilometer race at the Kahuku Golf Course in Oahu. Breathing down his neck were two of his teammates, Nathan Kipchumba and Henry Cheseto.
The three sophomores were separated by .37 of a second.
Kangogo won in 15 minutes, 41.15 seconds. Kipchumba was second in 15:41.33 and Cheseto, the defending West Region champion, was third in 15:41.52.
About four seconds off the lead pack was senior Dominik Notz, fourth in 15:45.66. Victor Samoei, a junior, was fifth in 16:17.88 and two other UAA runners cracked the top 10.
UAA's nationally ranked teams swept the team titles at the 15th annual Hawaii Big Wave Invitational, which marked the season debut for the Seawolves.
The women, ranked 10th in Division II, edged Division I Hawaii by eight points for the team title. 26-34.
The Seawolves boasted a 1-2 finish in the women's 5-K. Caroline Kurgat, a sophomore who nipped junior Joyce Chelimo, who is back in action after sitting out last year as a redshirt. Kurgat finished in 17:46.87; Chelimo clocked 17:49.43.
Two freshmen made it into the top 10 for UAA -- fourth-place Kimberly Coscia (18:34.94) and 10th-place Kaitlyn Maker (19:24.74). Senior Jessica Pahkala placed 11th in 19:28.63.
The No. 7-ranked UAA men enjoyed perfection with 15 points for a big win over runner-up Hawaii Pacific, which scored 60 points. Besides grabbing the top five spots in the individual race, the Seawolves landed two more in the top 10 -- seventh-place Michael Mendenhall (16:29.45) and Philip Messina (16:42.54).