Nov. 10, 2007
Men’s 10K Results in PDF Format
Women’s 6K Results in PDF Format
RIVERDALE, Utah – University of New Mexico senior Jeremy Johnson finished third this morning at the NCAA Mountain Region Cross Country Championships to secure a spot in the 2007 NCAA Championship meet for the first time in his career. Johnson was one of five UNM men to finish among the top-40 at the Riverside Golf Course, helping the fifth-place Lobos record their best regional finish since 2004.
New Mexico, however, will be on the bubble when the NCAA Championship team at-large selections are announced tomorrow afternoon. For the second time in as many meets, the Lobos came just short of knocking off BYU, which likely would have guaranteed their place in the NCAA field. BYU edged UNM 113-125 for fourth place after squeezing past New Mexico by five (46-51) two weeks ago in Albuquerque to win the Mountain West Conference title.
Johnson, the reigning MWC individual champion, covered the 10,000-meter (6.25 miles) course in 29:57.0 – just five seconds behind the winner, Lopez Lamong (29:52.1) of Northern Arizona. Johnson and former All-American Matt Gonzales (first in 2004) are the only Lobos ever to place in the top-three at the regional championship meet.
The NCAA Championships will be held on Nov. 19 at the LaVern Gibson Course in Terre Haute, Ind.
Sophomore transfer Brock Hagerman finished 21st to give the New Mexico men a pair of all-Mountain Region honorees for the second time in three years (2004). Hagerman, an all-Great Lakes Region runner for Notre Dame last fall, clocked a time of 31:09.7 – 11 seconds ahead of teammate Mat Ashton, who was 28th (31:20.1). Sophomore Lee Emanuel and senior Joseph Garcia finished side-by-side in 36th (31:47.8) and 37th (31:50.1), respectively to cap the UNM scoring. Garcia turned in his best finish in three career Mountain Region meet appearances.
No. 6 Colorado held off third-ranked UTEP 47-56 to win the team title, while No. 2 Northern Arizona was third with 84 points.
Later in the women’s race, junior transfer Michelle Corrigan placed 27th (21:48.9) – just four seconds shy of a place on the all-region team – to cap a stellar debut season in Cherry and Silver. Corrigan, who led the UNM women in every meet this fall, helped the Lobos place sixth overall with a score of 202 points. New Mexico notched its third straight top-seven finish at the Mountain Region Championships after placing no higher than 12th from 1997-2004.
Senior transfer Kara Henry closed her collegiate cross country career with a 38th place finish (22:06.0), two seconds ahead of sophomore teammate Vanessa Ortiz (39th – 22:08.2). Junior transfer Carolyn Boosey was 45th (22:18.6), while senior Sheyenne Lewis was 53rd (22:31.5) in her 15th and final cross country race as a Lobo.
No. 11 Colorado State, the MWC Champions, won the meet with a score of 75. No. 22 Norther Arizona (81) secured the second automatic berth, while No. 17 BYU was third (90). No. 13 Colorado and 18th-ranked Texas Tech finished fourth (105) and fifth (113), respectively.