SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Azusa Pacific left its mark in the last regular season meet of the season, with great perfromances on both sides at the San Francisco Invitational on Friday afternoon at Golden Gate Park. The men placed second out of 14 scoring teams while the women claimed fifth place, both season-highs in regards to team finishes.

Women's 6K
On the women's side, the Cougars placed fifth out of 13 teams with 135 points, highlighted by a masterclass race by Sophia Godina.

The senior led the way, finishing 4th overall in the 133-runner field with a time of 22:00.1. She was joined in the top-25 by Sofia Vasquez, who placed 22nd with a mark of 22:38.9.

Rounding out the scoring five were Naomi Sotelo, along with fellow newcomer Ashylnn Doolan and senior Grace Echelbarger, helping APU secure its first top-five finish of the season.

Men's 8K
The men's squad carried on the momentum set by the women, finishing with 70 points to secure second place overall in a deep 14-team field. Most notably, APU  finished as the top PacWest school, edging out preseason #2 Concordia Irvine by 7 points.

The Bay Area native, Kyle Galinis, shone in his homecoming race, placing fifth overall out of 177 runners with a time of 24:52.1. Soon after, Aaron Lakeman crossed the line fifth, as the Cougars further showcased one of the best 1-2 combos in the West Region.

Jonas Teeter added a strong 17th-place performance, while Maddox Oliver and freshman Erick Leal sealed the scoring five with 21st and 35th place finishes, respectively.

Up Next
APU will be back on the course for the PacWest Championships on Saturday, October 25, where they look to continue shake up the standings on Oahu.