When she's not studying for her degree in education or student teaching at Hau'ula Elementary, fleet-footed Brigham Young-Hawai'i senior Amanda Whitford schools the competition in and out of the PacWest.

Whitford, a native of Pinon Hills, Calif., added to her athletic CV this weekend by retaining her PacWest crown at the Hawaiian Airlines PacWest Cross Country Championships at Turtle Bay.

Whitford completed the 5K course in 18 minutes and 22 seconds, besting her nearest competitor, Hawai'i Pacific's Joanna Berggren by an impressive 43 seconds.

Teammates Lacey Johnson (No. 4), Danielle Amparan (8), Katherine Buxton (9) and Allison Shamrell (10) joined Whitford among the top 10 finishers.

BYUH tallied 29 points, followed by HPU (36) and UH-Hilo (59).

For those who have kept track of the Whitford dynasty, the event was significant but hardly surprising. Whitford will likely be honored with her fifth PacWest runner of the week award this week.

But the PacWest championship was just Step 1 in the Whitford plan for this year.

"Before the season, I set my goals: win the PacWest, do well at regionals, and advance to nationals."

The Seasiders are set to compete in the NCAA II West Regional on Nov. 8 in La Jolla, Calif.

A standout cross-country and track runner in high school (she also played basketball for two years), Whitford chose BYUH for its small-town environment and close-knit student body.

"I come from a very small town, so I was concerned about sitting in bigger classes," she said. "BYUH is a smaller school and it was an opportunity to discover a new place.

"When I got (to La'ie), I thought it was beautiful," she said. "I was just excited to meet people and enjoy the wonderful spirit that we have here."

Whitford (nee Castro) cemented her ties to Hawai'i on Aug. 11, 2006, when she married Joseph Whitford, son of Kahuku High School's athletic director of the same name.

"I actually did better once I got married," Whitford said. "I was able to focus on what I had to do. I knew I had so much time to devote to each task, and that made things easier. My husband is very supportive and he's figured out how to help me achieve my goals."

Whitford hasn't had much competition within the conference, but she's maintained her competitive edge by measuring her performance against the top runners in the country.

"Every week, I compare my times against girls on the Mainland," she said. "I may not be facing them during the season, but I know I could eventually race against them. I can't take anything for granted."

HPU MEN RETAIN TITLE

The Hawai'i Pacific men earned their third conference title in four years at this weekend's Hawaiian Airlines Pacific West Conference Cross Country Championships.

Freshman sensation Dany Malley placed fifth overall, completing the 8-kilometer course in 26 minutes and seven seconds.

The top four spots went to conference newcomer Academy of Art, but the Urban Knights were ineligible for the conference championship because they are not yet a full-fledged member of the NCAA.

Edward Taragon Kibet was the first overall finisher with a time of 25:07.

Excluding the Academy of Art runners, HPU placed five runners in the top 10. The Sea Warriors totaled 26 points, followed by BYUH (49) and Hawai'i-Hilo (56).

HPU won the PacWest in 2005 and again last year. It placed second in 2006.

SEASIDERS QUALIFY

With its come-from-behind victory over Grand Canyon on Saturday, the Seasiders volleyball team clinched the PacWest championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA II West Regional Tournament that goes with it.

BYUH dropped the first set 25-11 after hitting negative-.103 but rallied back to take the next three 25-11, 25-22, 25-11.

The Seasiders, who last won the conference championship in 2006, are 11-0 in the conference and 14-5 overall this season.

"We're excited to win the conference and qualify for the regional tournament," said BYU-Hawai'i head coach Wilfred Navalta. "But now we need to prepare for the tournament by trying to win our remaining matches and keep improving to the next level.