SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – With record-setting heat bearing down on Southern California, Azusa Pacific's men's and women's cross country teams battled unusually warm conditions Saturday at The Master's Invitational at Central Park.

With temperatures already above 80 degrees at the start of competition, both Cougar teams understandably posted their slowest times of the season.

The Azusa Pacific women recorded a combined time of 2:00:36 to finish 10th among 21 teams, while a short-handed Cougar men's squad placed 18th in the 21-team field with a combined time of 2:37:52.

Azusa Pacific placed 3 runners among the top 40 in the women's race. For the third time in as many meets, senior Naomi Sotelo-Trejo led the Cougars, covering the 6K course in 22:40 to finish 17th overall. Her time was nearly a minute slower than her season-best 6K performance, underscoring the impact of the difficult conditions.

Sophomore Ashlynn Doolan was the Cougars' No. 2 finisher, placing 25th in 22:52, while first-year distance runner Nora de Walle followed in 40th with a time of 23:26.

On the men's side, a young Cougar lineup was led by sophomore Isaiah Cowan, who covered the 8K course in 26:18 to finish 62nd among 219 runners. Freshman Micah Neumann was Azusa Pacific's second finisher, clocking 28:29 to place 150th.

The Cougars have a quick turnaround before returning to competition Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Pomona Invitational on the Pomona-Pitzer campus. The men's 8K is scheduled for 7:45 a.m., followed by the women's 6K at 8:30 a.m.