When it comes to the Inland Empire Athletic Conference men's cross country championships, the San Bernardino Valley College team has been in a class by itself since the conference began in 2019.

But Friday, at the combined IEAC and Pacific Coast Athletic Conference championship race, the Wolverines did something they had not done since 2017 - they outran San Diego Mesa College.

The Wolverines had the first 11 finishers in the scoring for the IEAC race, with Micah Watson taking the conference championship with a time of 21 minutes, 41 seconds. 

But it was the race between SBVC (No. 8 in the state in the most recent coaches' poll), San Diego Mesa (No. 5), and Cuyamaca (No. 2) that all eyes remained on.

The two San Diego-area schools set the pace over the first 1.5 miles over the 4-mile course, before SBVC made its move in the field. Watson finished second in the overall race. Jacob Orta was the second Wolverine across the line, posting a time of 21:48, good for fourth overall. Zach Calderon stopped the clock next at 22:10 for seventh overall, third in the IEAC.

Adam Acuna finished ninth overall for SBVC with a time of 22:14, making the Wolverines the only team to have four runners finish in single digits. And Oscar Hernandez stepped up to complete the scoring runners for the Wolverines, finishing 13th with a time of 22:40, clinching the top spot overall in the standings.

SBVC won the combined race with a total of 35 points, with Cuyamaca second with 39, and San Diego Mesa finishing with 49. In the IEAC team standings, the Wolverines and their perfect 15 score were trailed by Chaffey (63), Cerro Coso (73), and Crafton Hills (89).

The Wolverines will meet up with their rivals - and the rest of the teams from Southern California - again Nov. 7 for the Southern California Championships at Naval Training Center Park in San Diego.