AZUSA, Calif. – Concordia scored 18 points in the final event of the night, the men’s 10,000 meters, and for the first time in program history is in first place in the Golden State Athletic Conference Track & Field Championship.

Marco Venancio (31.27.90) and Carlos Handler (31:42.75) went 1-2 in the 10,000, running way from the field over the final 4,000 meters. Not only was Venancio’s time a season-best for him but it was also the fourth best time in the NAIA this year while Handler’s was the ninth best. Their combined effort actually got Concordia even with 5-time defending champion Azusa Pacific, which led throughout most of the first day of competition. The 2 teams are tied with 51 points heading into Saturday’s final day of competition.

Azusa Pacific got 30 of its points with event victories in the steeplechase (Peter Sherman), pole vault (Brian Bernard) and 4x800 relay.

And while Azusa Pacific and Concordia sit atop the perch, only 9 points separate the top 5 teams. Point Loma Nazarene looms on the horizon with 49.5 points with Fresno Pacific just a point behind, and Westmont is fifth with 47 points.

Point Loma senior Terrace Hale easily won the discus, while Concordia also got an event victory from basketball standout Torin Beeler who captured the men’s long jump competition early in the day.

On the women’s side, Azusa Pacific holds a 21-point advantage over Point Loma Nazarene, 90-69, but the Sea Lions are properly positioned to score a lot during Saturday’s competition. As Concordia did in men’s 10,000, so too did Point Loma in the women’s 10,000 when Jasmine Marks and Samantha From ran side-by-side for the entire race with a 1-2 finish with Marks pulling away over the final 100 meters to win by less than half a second.

Azusa Pacific’s Whitney Jacobsmeyer won the steeplechase with a season-best 11:14.95. The Cougars also picked up another victory in the pole vault with Morgan Altizer successfully defending her conference title.

Saturday’s competition includes the finals of 28 events, 14 in each division. Point Loma is looking to break Azusa Pacific’s stranglehold on the conference championship (along the men’s current streak the Cougar women have won 3 straight GSAC team titles) by collecting its first men’s crown since 1998 and its first women’s championship since 2000. Concordia is gunning for its first championship in either division.

Complete results and current team standings are available under the “Box Scores” button at the top.