ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Following podium finishes against a combined 39 ranked teams at the Nuttycombe Invitational, New Mexico’s Pasanjo Kitonga has been named Mountain West Men’s Athlete and Freshman of the Week, while Mercy Kirarei earned MW Women’s Athlete of the Week honors, the league announced.
The duo earned the same awards Sept. 29 following their performances at the Cowboy Jamboree. Kitonga collects both honors for the second time in his career, while Kirarei earns her fourth career MW weekly award and second in cross country.
Kitonga finished second in Friday’s men’s 8K in 22:30.8, lowering his collegiate personal best by 53.6 seconds and crossing just seven-tenths of a second behind Colorado’s Meshack Kipruto.
The freshman progressed from 11th at 2K to fifth at halfway before leading at the 6K checkpoint. His finish paced the top-ranked Lobos to their second consecutive Nuttycombe team title with 59 points, a 34-point margin over No. 6 Colorado. UNM defeated 20 nationally ranked opponents, including nine other top-15 teams.
Kirarei placed third in the women’s 6K in 19:21.8, improving her collegiate best by 29.3 seconds. She led at both the 2K and 4K checkpoints and finished just 2.3 seconds behind the winner.
Her performance helped the fourth-ranked Lobo women finish fourth with 157 points, ahead of 13 nationally ranked teams. UNM earned that result without NCAA outdoor 5,000-meter champion Marion Jepngetich in the lineup.
UP NEXT
The Lobos turn their attention to the Mountain West Championships on Oct. 30 in Reno, Nev. Follow @UNMLoboXCTF on Instagram and X for updates and more.