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Men's Cross Country 10/4/2025 10:53:00 PM Marcus Dawal Jr

Power of the Pack

Both Men’s and Women’s Teams Earn Top-10 Finishes in Claremont

CLAREMONT, Calif. — Azusa Pacific cross country continued its 2025 season with an impressive outing at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational, where both the men's and women's teams finished inside the top 10 against a strong regional field.

Men's 8K: Lakeman Leads the Way

The Cougar men placed fourth out of 20 scoring teams, totaling 147 points, despite resting top runner Kyle Galinis ahead of next week's regular-season finale in the Bay Area.
Aaron Lakeman, the APU Athletics September Freshman of the Month, took over pack-leading duties and delivered a standout performance, finishing 22nd overall—the highest placement among PacWest competitors in the race.
Behind Lakeman, Jonas Teeter finished 40th, followed by Maddox Oliver, true freshman Isaiah Cowan, and Erick Leal, who crossed the line in 43rd, 45th, and 46th, respectively, giving the Cougars five runners in the top 50.

Women's 6K: Sotelo and Vasquez Pace the Cougars

The women's team earned a ninth-place finish out of 20 scoring programs with 223 points, turning in another balanced performance.
With Sophia Godina resting, Naomi Sotelo led the way once again, finishing 18th out of 209 runners with a time of 22:21.9. Sofia Vasquez was next for APU, placing 29th with a time of 22:42.8.
True freshman Ashlynn Doolan, along with upperclassmen Denise Villarreal and Grace Echelbarger, rounded out the scoring five to secure a top-10 team finish.

Up Next

Azusa Pacific will head north next week for its regular-season finale in the Bay Area before turning its focus toward the PacWest Championships later this month.

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Players Mentioned

Sofia Vasquez: Freshman

Grace Echelbarger: Freshman

Kyle Galinis: Senior

Aaron Lakeman: Redshirt Freshman

Erick Leal: Sophomore

Maddox Oliver: Redshirt Sophomore

Jonas Teeter: Sophomore

Sophia Godina: Senior

Isaiah Cowan: Freshman

Naomi Sotelo: Junior

Denise Villarreal: Junior

Ashlynn Doolan: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Sofia Vasquez
: Freshman

Grace Echelbarger
: Freshman

Kyle Galinis
: Senior

Aaron Lakeman
: Redshirt Freshman

Erick Leal
: Sophomore

Maddox Oliver
: Redshirt Sophomore

Jonas Teeter
: Sophomore

Sophia Godina
: Senior

Isaiah Cowan
: Freshman

Naomi Sotelo
: Junior

Denise Villarreal
: Junior

Ashlynn Doolan
: Freshman