OSKALOOSA, Iowa - Inclement weather conditions shortened a well-anticipated William Penn Invitational to a 4.6K race on Saturday for the Ashford University women's cross country team.

"We had to factor in snow a little more than the men's race," AU Head Coach Tyson Graham said. "By all standards, the course seemed a little short and we were guessing it affected about one minute and 30 seconds per person. We were also down a team member (Olivia Canales) due to a flu bug going around."

Freshman Nkemdilim Okwumabua of Rockford, Ill., paced the Saints with a 28th-place effort in a field of 55 individuals, finishing with a time of 20:07. Saturday's time marked about a four-minute improvement from her last 5K race at the Bradley Open.

"I can tell Kemi is starting to get the hang of running further distances," Graham observed. "She had a lot of gas in the tank left at the end, but it's becoming more level from race to race."

Senior Nichole Salazar of Minooka, Ill., also had about a four-minute improvement from the Bradley Open, crossing the line at 20:56 to finish 38th. Salazar gritted through the cold without gloves or a hat on the course.

Freshman Ashley Murray of Mason City set a new personal record by nearly 3.5 minutes, finishing just three spots back of Salazar at 41st.

Fellow freshman Chhutani Berry of Chicago also recorded a new personal-best time, ending at 25:27, good for 53rd. Graham said that Berry's time on Saturday was nearly four and a half minutes better than her Bradley Open time.

"Overall, I thought our girls did a fantastic job, and I couldn't be more proud of them," Graham lauded. "We ran well today and that's all you can ask for."