RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- It was a nice, balmy 100 degrees in Riverside on Saturday as the men and women cross country squads traveled to compete in another shorter season-opening competition, California Baptist's Lancer Invitational.
 
"I thought we were pretty well acclimated to the heat and humidity and managed those aspects well," said Head Coach Jonathan Zimmerman.
 
Cross country running is as much mental as it is physical, as runners must overcome the obstacles of the weather, other running styles and the competition they are slated to face each week.
 
Add to that the fact that the Eagles are competing for the second straight week while starting a new academic year, and the odds of successful finishes seem to dwindle even more.
 
No one seemed to tell that to the BU teams, as they handled all these elements well on the way to placing six runners in the top 10 of their respective races, including a first place finish by Lyndee Dawson in the women's race.
 
"Running two consecutive races at the beginning of the school year can be a little chaotic," said Zimmerman. "There can be a steep learning curve as everyone adjusts to their new routines with new teammates. The veterans have done a terrific job of helping our new athletes with the transition."
 
The women's squad claimed half of the top ten sports in a 4K run that included two Golden State Athletic Conference schools (BU and Arizona Christian) and three National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II schools (CBU, Azusa Pacific and Academy of Art).
 
Dawson, Carrie Soholt, Chelsea Janzen, Kellian Hunt and Ilima Kung all finished within thirty seconds of one another to pace the Eagles runners.
 
Kevin Horchler claimed the top time on the men's side, running a 19:07.5 to place sixth in the 6K race.
 
Andy Edmondson and Collin Christensen ran together in Christensen's first race since suffering a knee injury last season, they were the next BU finishers, placing 32^nd and 33^rd. Mark Diaz rounded out the men's runners, finishing 39^th, running a 26:38.4.
 
"We sat some runners out today, and we ran a few who did not run last week," said Zimmerman. "Again, everyone adjusts differently to training and academic loads, and we are still assessing each of them to see where they are in that process."
 
Although still technically a warm-up meet for both squads, the women's side did post enough counting times to register a team score, and their 28 was the lowest of the five schools registering scores, giving them the first place finish.

"I am really pleased with the transition we have made to start off the season, and that is really a hats off to our returners for handling it so well," said Zimmerman.
 
The women's squad gets a week off to train and rest before they travel to the tough NCAA Division I San Diego State Invitational, and the men's side competes at UC Riverside next Saturday morning.