Panthers Earn Top Five Finish at PCAC & IEAC Championships

The Chaffey College men's and women's cross country programs competed at the 2025 Pacific Coast Athletic Conference (PCAC) and Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) Championships on Friday morning at Harry Griffen Park in La Mesa.

In the men's 4-mile race at the PCAC & IEAC Championships, the Panthers secured a strong second-place team finish in the Inland Empire Athletic Conference standings with 63 points, trailing behind San Bernardino Valley College's 15-point total. Rohan Weerasekera led Chaffey with a time of 23:47, followed closely by Adam Espinoza in 24:05 and Hugo Meneses at 24:16, giving the Panthers three runners among the top 35 finishers. Anthony Castro clocked 27:57, while Jerry Parada recorded a personal best at 28:53 to cap his best effort of the season. Moises Jarquin rounded out the lineup with a 36:38 finish, helping Chaffey edge out Cerro Coso and Crafton Hills in the final standings.

Chaffey finished fifth overall in the combined PCAC and IEAC team standings, placing behind San Bernardino Valley, Cuyamaca, San Diego Mesa, and Southwestern. The result reflected one of the Panthers' strongest all-around performances of the season, highlighted by consistent efforts across their top three runners.

On the women's team, Alexis Montano represented Chaffey in the 5,000-meter race in the IEAC Championships, finishing in 23:50, a personal-best performance that trimmed more than two minutes off her previous time this season. Her continued improvement capped a strong conference showing and highlighted her growth throughout her first collegiate season.

The Panthers will next compete at the Southern California Championships on Friday, Nov. 7, at the Naval Training Center Park in San Diego. The women's race is scheduled for 10 a.m., followed by the men's race at 11 a.m.