Winner Winner

RIVERSIDE, CALIF. -- Azusa Pacific women's cross country was led by an individual championship performance from senior Naomi Sotelo, while both Cougar squads gained valuable experience at the Highlander Invitational, competing in the Open Division hosted by UC Riverside.

Sotelo delivered the highlight of the day for APU, capturing the women's 6K individual title in a field of more than 120 runners. The senior crossed the finish line with a lifetime 6K best of 21:27.2, finishing more than 40 seconds ahead of the next collegiate competitor and helping the Cougars place sixth in the team standings with 170 points.

The Cougar women placed 2 runners among the top 10 as sophomore Ashlynn Doolan turned in a strong race of her own, finishing ninth overall in 22:33.6. Together, Sotelo and Doolan gave APU an early advantage against a competitive field that included teams from across NCAA Division II, Division III, NAIA, and junior college ranks.

Freshman Lola Esparza rounded out the team's top 3 scorers with a 59th-place finish in 24:20.4, while junior Rebekah Cueva added points in 86th place at 25:40.9. Junior Haily Roberts completed the scoring 5, crossing in 26:11.8 to finish 97th overall.
The Cougars' sixth-place finish placed them ahead of several NCAA programs, including Pepperdine, Chapman, and Nevada State. Team champion honors went to Cal State San Bernardino, which totaled 49 points.

On the men's side, Azusa Pacific finished 13th in the 8K race, led by sophomore Isaiah Cowan. Cowan paced the Cougars with a 48th-place finish in 26:46.0, earning 33 team points and recording APU's fastest men's time of the morning.

Freshman Micah Neumann provided the second scoring performance for APU, placing 134th in 30:30.4. Fellow freshmen Dalton Garcia and Aidan Cargill followed with times of 31:33.6 and 33:03.5, respectively, while freshman Isaac Crisostomo rounded out the Cougar scoring contingent in 33:16.3. Sophomore Andrew Carrasco also competed for APU, finishing in 34:24.7.

The men's race featured nearly 160 competitors, with Caltech claiming the team championship with 63 points. Cal State Los Angeles and Occidental rounded out the top three team finishers.

The Cougars take next 2 weeks off before heading to Joplin, Mo., for the National Christian College Athletics Association championship meet on Nov. 13.

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