IRVINE, Calif. – Chaminade University men's cross country runner
Elijah Bernardo-Flores (Waipahu, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama) was named Thursday as the Pacific West Conference Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year in voting conducted by the conference's sports information directors.
Bernardo-Flores, who was named to the Academic All-PacWest Team for a third straight year on Wednesday, graduated this past spring with his Bachelor's degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice major with a 3.90 cumulative grade-point average. He has been the team's Scholar-Athlete in each of the last two years.
On the course, Bernardo-Flores is a three-year member of the cross country team, competing in all 13 of the Silverswords' races during his collegiate running career. On Feb. 27, he posted a career-low 5-kilometer time of 19 minutes, 47.6 seconds in less than ideal racing conditions at the PacWest Hawai'i Invitational at the Hawai'i Pacific University windward campus.
"Being able to receive an award like this is truly humbling," Bernardo-Flores said. "This would not have been possible without the help of my support system encouraging me to be my very best. They include: Chaminade University, Coach
Shadrack Nabea and my friends and my family. Anything is possible!"
Bernardo-Flores, who will return this fall to complete his fourth year of athletic eligibility while taking graduate courses, is among the 14 other individual sport winners from the PacWest. He joins the six other Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year winners and is eligible for the overall PacWest Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year which will be announced next week.
It is the eighth year in which a Silversword student-athlete has been named as a PacWest sport scholar-athlete, the most from any current PacWest school.
