HILO, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Hilo Women's Cross Country welcomes three newcomers and a five-event slate for the upcoming fall in head coach Alan Ryan's fourth season.
The Vulcans placed No. 7 at last season's Pacific West Conference Championships meet for the program's best finish since 2010. They swept all three Division-II Hawai'i-based meets and finished No. 24 at the NCAA West Regional Championships.
Among the team's four returners are 2025 All-PacWest Second Team finishers Sequoia Gonzales and Kathleen Raab.
"We have a solid group of returners who are ready to elevate off of last year's success, and our newcomers have brought a lot of excitement and energy to the group," Ryan said. "There's a lot of growth potential with this team, and I think this year's extended season schedule will be extremely beneficial to us as we look to perform our best in November."
Hawai'i Hilo opens the season Sept. 5 at the Big Wave Invitational hosted by UH Manoa in Kahuku before competing in the HPU Invitational (Sept. 26), Chaminade Invitational (Oct. 17) and its own Hawai'i Hilo Invitational on Oct. 24 at the Grand Naniloa Resort Banyans Golf Course. PacWest Championships is set for Nov. 8 in Rocklin, California with the NCAA West Regional Championships on Nov. 21 in Sacramento.
2026 WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY ROSTER
- Roster Total: 7
- Seniors: 1
- Upperclassmen: 3
- Returners: 4
- Newcomers: 3
- 2025 Departures: 3 (1 Graduated / Exhausted Eligibility)
NEWCOMERS HOME STATE/COUNTRY
- California: 1
- Missouri: 1
- Washington: 1
The PacWest Conference is now composed of 10 teams after the departures of Menlo and Fresno Pacific to the CCAA and Azusa Pacific to NCAA Division III.
The incoming class arrives as the NCAA Division II Executive Committee recently adopted emergency legislation establishing an age-based eligibility model to allow student-athletes up to five seasons of competition.
5'7 | JR | Humboldt, CA | Eureka Senior HS / Carroll
» Two seasons playing soccer at Carroll College (Montana)
» Played in 25 games through two seasons with the Fighting Saints (NAIA)
» 2024 graduate of Eureka Senior High School (California)
Major: Nursing
Why Hawai'i Hilo: "The opportunity to live in the beautiful state of Hawai'i while continuing my academic path toward nursing and competing in a collegiate sport."
5'9 | SO | Missouri | Maplewood-Richmond Heights HS
» Two years at Kapi'olani Community College (Hawai'i)
» 2026 (Summer) Associate of Arts (Kapi'olani CC)
» 2021 graduate of Maplewood-Richmond Heights High School
Major: English
5'8 | FR | Ridgefield, WA | Ridgefield HS / Hawai'i
» One year at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa
» 2025 graduate of Ridgefield High School (Washington)
» Four seasons of varsity cross country for coach Angela Shields
» Other Sports: Track & Field, Soccer
» T&F Honors: (3x) State Qualifier (Track & Field), 2023 4x400 Relay 2A State 3rd Place
» Career Aspirations: Pharmacist
Major: Biology
