USTFCCCA RELEASE
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— The University of New Mexico women’s cross country team checked in at No. 4 in the latest USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll released on Tuesday afternoon, slipping two spots from the week three ranking.
UNM received 285 points but also picked up three first-place votes, an increase of one first-place vote from the week prior.
Arkansas moved up one spot to earn the top ranking with 319 points and four first-place votes followed by BYU, with the Cougars garnering 309 points and one first-place vote. Colorado joined the Lobos in dropping two spots, ranking third with 305 points and three first-place votes. UNM tied with Stanford for the fourth spot in the poll after the Cardinal moved up one spot.
Utah, winners of the Blue Division race team title at the Joe Piane – Notre Dame Invitational jumped from receiving votes in week three all the way to No. 6 with 269 points. Michigan held at seventh, Washington moved down two into eighth and NC State moved one spot down to ninth. Michigan State rounded out the top-10.
With the No. 4 ranking, the Lobos continue their trend of not being ranked lower than fourth in the last three seasons, with the last time being ranked fourth occurring in the preseason poll in 2017.
The Lobos led the Mountain West in the poll with a total of three schools in the top-30. Boise State was the next Mountain West team in the poll, ranked tied for 11th with Florida State with 219 points. Air Force fell one spot to 21st with 103 points.
Running without junior Adva Cohen, who was competing for Israel at the World Championships, the Lobos finished seventh at the Joe Piane – Notre Dame Invitational in the team standings in the Blue Division behind Weini Kelati’s individual win and a fifth-place finish from Ednah Kurgat.
The Lobos resume competition on Friday, Oct. 18 at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, where UNM will race against 19 ranked teams from Tuesday’s USTFCCCA poll and four teams that are receiving votes. Among the teams scheduled to participate are five top-10 teams in No. 1 Arkansas, No. 4 Stanford, No. 6 Utah, No. 9 NC State and No. 10 Michigan State. Mountain West schools Boise State, Colorado State and Utah State will also be running in the Nuttycombe.