Heat gets to cross-country

On the sweltering Karsten Golf Course the Cal State Long Beach cross country teams survived at the Arizona State Invitational.

With a temperature of 98 degrees at the start of the afternoon 8 kilometer run, the men's team was cooked into fourth place out of five teams, with 135 points.

The women's team placed last of four squads, with a score of 114. The 5k women's race was run a half hour before the men's, when the mercury was at an oppressive 102 degrees.

Northern Arizona finished first in both races, taking the men's with 28 points and the women's with 15.

Wyoming grabbed second in both races.

The CSULB women's squad had 5 season best times out of the six athletes who traveled to Arizona.

Among the personal-record setting women were 21st-place finisher Monica MacManus who finished the course in 19 minutes, 34 seconds and 23rd-place Mara Caples, who ran a 20:06.

Natalie Dyroff's 20:25 was good enough for 28th, and Kim Jackson finihed in 21:21, wish made her 39th overall.

For the men, both Pat Bendzick (27:01) and Dennis Sweningson (27:22) came in in under 28 minutes.

Brian Walker did not finish the October 11 meet due to a sprained ankle.

This coming Friday the 49ers travel to Cal Poly Pomona for the Bronco Invitational.

This will be the closest thing to a home meet the teams have this season. Big West Conference championships will be held November 2 at Boise Idaho.