Biola's Athletic Programs Excel at National Level

It was a fall season to remember for Biola athletics, as two teams made deep postseason runs and finished near the top in the nation, with almost every other squad spending some time ranked in the top 25 during the season.
 
The season was highlighted by Biola volleyball's first trip to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championship match since 1997. The Eagles fell just short against the No. 1 University of Texas at Brownsville Ocelots, but earned four All-American nods, five all-conference honors and a sweet semifinal sweep over conference foe No. 2 Concordia on the way.
 
Another top moment was the No. 3 Eagles' women's cross country team winning their second consecutive Golden State Athletic Conference title and earning two All-American nods while finishing third overall at the NAIA national meet.
 
"It has been a really wonderful fall season, capped by the accomplishments of our volleyball and women's cross country teams," said Athletic Director Dr. Dave Holmquist. "Our men's soccer and cross country teams also had great seasons. We are proud of all of our teams. Our women's soccer program lost some tough matches, but were very competitive, and our golf teams continue to improve."
 
Eagles volleyball began the season ranked fourth in the NAIA, but after a 4-0 showing at their own Biola/Red Lion Summer Slam tournament they jumped to No. 3 in the nation, a spot they would hold down throughout the remainder of the season.
 
The regular season was a display of dominance throughout as the Eagles won 22 games and dropped just three. They were one win away from a GSAC championship, but lost the regular season finale to No. 2 Concordia.

They would get they revenge as the team made a deep run in the NAIA national tournament and impressed the entire country with a breathtaking 3-0 semifinal win over CUI.
 
"This was a group of seniors that was not going to lose, the whole senior crew did a great job," said Head Volleyball Coach Aaron Seltzer. "We needed everybody on this team to accomplish what we did. If we pulled one kid out, we would not be the same. We had a great group; you can win ten championships, but it wouldn't mean a thing if you didn't do it with character and integrity."
 
Both cross country teams improved on their finishes from last season. While women's cross country won the conference championship both seasons, they improved their national finish from 10^th overall to third in the nation. The men's contingent improved their conference finish from fifth to third, and they sent Danny Ledesma to compete at the national level for the third straight season.
 
Kellian Hunt and Carrie Soholt earned NAIA All-American status with their performance at the NAIA national meet, and combined to pace the Eagles in five out of eight races through the season.
 
Women's cross country finished first at every meet they competed in, with the exception of the third place national finish and a second place finish at the San Diego State Aztec Invitational, a meet comprised of primarily National Collegiate Athletic Association division I schools.
 
"It was way too much fun coaching the women's team this season," said cross country Head Coach Jonathan Zimmerman. "They were granite and hit all the targets they decided to shoot for this season."

The men's team won that SDSU meet, and placed in the top three team three times this season. Ledesma and Kevin Horchler each earned All-GSAC honors for their performance in the conference meet. Men's cross country also spent time in the NAIA top 25, reaching a high of No. 22.
 
"The men showed a super improvement over last year when they finished fifth in the conference," said Zimmerman. "Danny went to his third consecutive national championship, and there was great growth and maturity through out the season for the men. I feel privileged to coach them."
 
Todd Elkins took over as the men's soccer coach this season, coaching both teams after spending five years as the women's team coach.

He led the men's squad to a near berth in the NAIA national tournament and a second place finish in the GSAC and GSAC tournament. The men's team had the best regular season winning percentage in the history of Biola men's soccer as they went 13-3-1 overall and 7-3-0 in conference competition.
 
They started the season unranked, but quickly proved that they were among the best teams in the nation as they went their first nine games without suffering a loss. The team began the season 7-0-2 before suffering its first loss of the year to Concordia. The team was ranked from the second poll on, working their way all the way up to the No. 8 ranking before ending the year as No. 24.
 
Biola had a rough start to the conference season, getting its three regular-season losses in a four game span before righting the ship and continuing its historic season.
 

Daniel Chew led the way for Biola all season long, scoring a team-high and career-high 18 goals to lead Biola to its best finish in conference since the team finished first in the GSAC in 2002.
 
Chew ended his career with 33 goals, tied for the fifth most in the history of the program, and his 18 this season tie him for the third most ever in a single year.
 
He was one of Biola's four All-GSAC soccer players. Goalkeeper JT Addington, defender Kevin Kiser and midfielder Joey O'Keefe also got all-conference nods.
 
Women's soccer had an up-and-down season highlighted by their time breaking into the NAIA top 25 for the first time since 2006 and Morgan Aukshunas winning a national player of the week award.
 
Aukshunas was also one of women's soccer's three all-conference players, along with Chrissy King and Amanda Lillicrop.

Biola battled all season long, and ended the year 9-9-1 overall after a brutal conference schedule pushed them off track. They still managed the No. 6 seed in the GSAC tournament, but were eliminated in the first round after a 1-0 loss to Vanguard.
 
Men and women's golf both participated in the fall season as well. Their seasons do continue in the spring, but both sides showed consistent improvement from the first tournament to the last in the fall season.
 
No matter what way you slice it, the Eagles went out and made Biola proud through the first four months of the school year. Five nationally ranked programs and two national championship berths prove that the Eagles are a force to be reckoned with on the national level.