Following elite season-opening performances against ranked foes at the Cowboy Jamboree on Saturday, New Mexico’s Pasanjo Kitonga has been named MW Men’s Freshman & Athlete of the Week and Mercy Kirarei has been named MW Women’s Athlete of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
Kitonga had already earned USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honors on Monday for winning the Cowboy Jamboree individual title and leading the Lobo men to a team victory over top-ranked Oklahoma State on Saturday and now adds his first conference weekly honors.
Crossing the men’s 10K in 23:24.4, Kitonga’s low-stick performance helped the Lobo men score a miniscule 28 points to topple the Cowboys on their home course. The Lobo men rose to No. 1 in the nation for the first time in program history in Tuesday’s national polls as a result.
For Kirarei, it’s the third MW weekly honor of her career and first in cross country. The senior finished fourth overall in a field that included No. 3 BYU and No. 15 Oklahoma State as the UNM women finished third as a team, with her 19:51.1 finish standing as the fifth-fastest women's 6K time in Cowboy Jamboree history.
UP NEXT
The Lobos will face a much wider field of ranked opponents at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wisc. in two weeks – their final race before Mountain West Championships Oct. 30 in Reno, Nev. The Nuttycombe Invitational on Oct. 10 will be available to stream via RunnerSpace+, with live results at GoLobos.com/XCResults. Follow @UNMLoboXCTF on IG and X for raceday updates, behind-the-scenes content and more.