SCC, Concordia Have Shot at NAIA Meet

Southern California College will host the Golden State Athletic Conference cross-country championships at 9 a.m. Saturday on the Newport Back Bay course. Both the SCC and Concordia women’s teams have a shot at qualifying for the NAIA Championships, Nov. 15 in Kenosha, Wis.

Although Westmont, ranked fifth in the NAIA, and ninth-ranked Azusa Pacific are the favorites, SCC Coach Bryan Wilkins said his team, Concordia, Point Loma and Fresno Pacific could earn an at-large bid with a convincing third-place finish.

Concordia edged SCC by one point when the teams competed head-to-head Oct. 11 at the SCC Invitational.

Also, the top five individual finishers in Saturday’s race, not on a team that qualified for the NAIA meet, will also make the field.

Men’s runners Steve Lalim and Matt Wheeler of SCC and Concordia’s Robert Seaman and women’s runners Maribel Delgado and Monica Landa of SCC and Concordia’s Tricia Mattson, Rachel Lafady and Christy Ide are the top county hopefuls to qualify as individuals if their teams do not.

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Playoff Watch: The Chapman men’s soccer team finished the regular season this week and is tied for sixth in the rankings for their region in the coaches’ poll. The NCAA will award playoff bids to six teams from the region.

The Division III playoffs begin Nov. 12 and the selections are announced Nov. 9. The women’s soccer playoffs begin Nov. 5, with the selections to be announced Sunday.

The Chapman women’s soccer team finished the season 12-4-1 and ranked 23rd in the nation, both bests in school history. However, the Panthers don’t figure to make the playoffs considering they are ranked third in the West Region and only two teams from the region will qualify for the playoffs.