Every Monday, GoSwords.com will publish "This Week in 'Swords History presented by Big City Diner" which looks back at significant events and some of the memorable games that helped shape Chaminade University Athletics into what it is today.
Sept. 15, 1984: Women's Cross Country Sweeps Local Meet
Courtesy: Honolulu Advertiser, Sept. 16, 1984
After years of fielding individual runners who competed in various local meets, Hawai'i's five NAIA schools fielded its first cross country teams in 1984. The first-ever race in the NAIA District 2 Hawai'i Conference took place at the BYU-Hawai'i campus on Sept. 15, 1984.
It turned out to be a successful debut for the Chaminade women.
The Silverswords'
Nancy Tapia took home medalist honors by finishing the 5-kilometer course in convincing fashion, logging a time of 22 minutes and 13 seconds, 55 seconds faster than runner-up Mary Hornaday of Hawai'i Loa College.
With results in from Tapia and teammate
Alison Ebesu (fourth place) along with HLC getting the second- and third-place finishers, the two schools were tied with five points, meaning the next finisher from either school would win get the team win (note: due to low participant numbers during the 1980s, the NAIA granted the Hawai'i schools a waiver where the scores of the top three runners would determine the team score instead of the standard five).
The battle for the clinching sixth-place points came down to the wire between Chaminade's
Frances Ambrose and HLC's Valarie De Beaumont. Ambrose pushed through and finished at 25:51, just nine seconds ahead of De Beaumont to help the Silverswords edge the Mongoose, 11-12, giving the 'Swords the first-ever win in a local meet among the non-Division I Hawai'i programs.
