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Lobo Cross Country Finishes Big at Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational

MADISON, Wis. – Lobo cross country showcased their very best in its final meet before the Mountain West Championships in two weeks. The No. 3 nationally ranked women’s team finished first in the A race, beating the No. 1 NC State Wolfpack and No. 2 BYU Cougars.

The Lobos ran eight student-athletes in the premier women’s championship 6K race, and their depth proved to be key to them winning the race. The team ended with 93 points, which was nine points better than the No. 1 ranked NC State who placed second in the race and 59 points better than No. 2 ranked BYU who finished third in the race. This marks the third time the women have won the race since the 2011 season. The last time they placed first was at the 2017 meet on Oct. 13.

DII transfer Stefanie Parsons continues to prove why she belongs in the lineup. The newcomer led the way in the race, placing 12th with a time of 20:21.9. Gracelyn Larkin and Emma Heckel followed closely behind as they placed 15th and 16th, respectively, and ran times of 20:23.0 and 20:24.4.

Abigail Goldstein ran a time of 20:37.0 to place 24th and Samrawit Dishon placed 26th with a time of 20:39.9. Adva Cohen then followed in 32nd place with a time of 20:43.2. Andrea Modin Engesaeth rounded out the top 50 individuals with a time of 20:51.9 to place 47th. Amelia Mazza-Downie rounded out the Lobos in the championship race as she placed 70th and ran a time of 21:07.4.

The women also had a great “B” race, placing first with 24 points and running seven student-athletes. Elise Thorner led the way for the Lobos, as she placed first individually with a time of 20:57.8. Ali Upshaw followed in third place with a time of 21:02.1. Hannah Miller ran a time of 21:20.9 to finish sixth. Semira Mebrahtu Firezghi next came in 12th place with a 21:32.8 running time. Juanita Johnson ran a time of 21:36.3 for 16th place. Lauren Bettencourt placed 53rd with a time of 22:39.0. Celeste Martinez rounded the Lobos in the “B” race as she placed 63rd with a time of 22:59.1. Samantha Valentine also ran unattached and placed 57th with a time of 22:44.8.

In the men’s “B” race, New Mexico ran five student-athletes for 146 points and fifth place out of eight teams. Iolo Hughes led the team with a 31st place finish and a time of 25:21.9. Nehemiah Cionelo came in 53rd with a time of 25:46.3 and Reece Donihi trailed him by just .4 seconds as he ran 25:46.7 and placed 54th. Matthew Larkin finished in 75th place with a time of 26:19.4. Awet Yohannes rounded out the Lobos in 89th place with a time of 27:42.1.

The Lobos are set for an off week next week to prepare for the upcoming conference championships. New Mexico will host the 2021 Mountain West Cross Country Championships on Oct. 29 at the UNM North Golf Course.

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