SAN DIEGO, Calif. –- The 20th GSAC Track & Field Championship Meet ended like 13 previous GSAC meets – with a pair of Cougars wearing crowns.

Azusa Pacific swept the men’s and women’s GSAC championships during today’s second-day competition at Point Loma Nazarene. The Cougar men collected their record eighth straight conference title, while the women claimed their fifth championship in the past 6 years. It was the 13th time that the men and women swept the team titles.

The Cougar men literally ran away from meet host Point Loma and the rest of the 7-team field, tallying 291 points to finish 114 points ahead of the Sea Lion. Azusa Pacific won 8 of 13 running events. NAIA champion Tim Ramirez paced the Cougar trot with 2 victories. The senior out of Simi Valley broke the 13-year old GSAC record in the 800 with a 1:50.18, bettering the former conference standard by .28 of a second. He came back later in the day to win the 1500 with a 3:53.55.

Young brother Tony Ramirez won the GSAC 200 meters, running only his second half lap of the season in a time of 21.84. Earlier in the day, Tony was second in the 400, trailing only his teammate, fellow junior Matt Parish who won his first-ever GSAC crown with a 47.03.

The Cougar men swept the hurdle events with junior Matt Sparks won his second straight 400-meter hurdle with a 53.89, while sophomore decathlete David Pichler specialized in his specialty, taking the 110 highs with a personal best 14.57.

As expected the Cougar women dominated the GSAC throws and rode the arms and shoulder of 5 throwers to the conference title. Azusa Pacific collected 92 of its 252.5 points in the throws, and it was NAIA champion Vivian Chukwuemeka, who became the first athlete to win all 4 throwing events. Yesterday, Chukwuemeka captured victories in the discus, hammer and javelin throws and today added the shot to her list with a put of 57’ 1 ½”, beating her nearest competitor by more than 12 feet. Sophomore Ruth Wilhelm was fifth with a season-best effort of 38’ 8 ¼”.

Like their male teammates, the Cougar women won both the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles. Sophomore Capree Bell took the highs in 15.27, while All-American Sarah Jackson won the intermediates with a 1:03.02. Meanwhile, junior Lorraine Swaby, one of the NAIA’s best in the intermediate hurdles, cleared the obstacles for the GSAC meet and won the 400 meters with a 56.86.

Cougar mentor Mike Barnett was named the GSAC Women's Track & Field Coach of the Year while men's coach Kevin Reid shared the honor with Westmont's Russell Smelley.