Lobos Claim First Place at the Battle Born Collegiate Cross Country Challenge
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico women’s cross country team did not miss a beat, finishing in first place at the Battle Born Collegiate Cross Country Challenge with a total of 60 points and a spread of 0:16.
Stanford, the runner-up, finished 25 points behind the Lobos regardless of claiming the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the race. Stanford was ranked No.4 in the Week 4 NCAA D1 Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll, once spot ahead of the Lobos.
“It’s been 11 months since our last race and, wow, the women ran great. It is such a wonderful group of women that all want to be very good,” said head coach Joe Franklin.
“Adva has been a great leader and mentor to these women and she ran very well today. The 16 second spread 1 to 5 reminds us a lot of our 2015 NCAA Championship team-the lowest scoring team in modern history.”
The first Lobo to cross the finish line was senior Adva Cohen, finishing in sixth place overall (19:59.3), adding six points to the Lobo’s tally. Shortly after, in 10th place, was sophomore Gracelyn Larkin, finishing the race at a time of 20:05.1. Both runners helped the Lobos to a fourth-place finish at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championship.
Three Lobos, garnering the Lobos’ turquoise jersey for the first time, rounded out the point-earning finishes in the race. In 12th place was sophomore Amelia Mazza-Downie at a time of 20:13.7. Senior Annamaria Kostarellis came in 15th place, bringing the Lobo tally to 43 points.
Finally, in her first collegiate race, Andrea Engesaeth finished 17th overall, stopping the point count at 60, and solidifying a first-place finish for the Lobos.
Red-shirt freshman Elise Thorner was the sixth Lobo to cross the line, finishing in 34th place overall (20:42.0).
True-freshmen Samrawit Dishon, Aliandrea Upshaw and Semira Mebrahtu Firezghi finished in 43rd, 54th, and 65th, respectively, all making their collegiate debut in the race.
Red-shirt senior Hannah Miller closed out the race for the Lobos, finishing in 85th place at a time of 21:48.6.
Three Mountain West opponents also participated in the race, with Boise State finishing in 3rd (101 points), Colorado State in 7th (177 points), and Nevada finishing in 12th (318 points).
The Lobos will now head to the Mountain West Cross Country Championships, tabbed to take place on March 5 in Las Vegas, Nev. The team will then set its sights on the NCAA Championships on March 15 in Stillwater, Okla.