RENO, Nev. – New Mexico Men’s and Women’s Cross Country swept the Mountain West team and individual titles for the third consecutive season Friday at Washoe County Golf Course, with a perfect score from the top-ranked Lobo men and a historic third individual crown from Pamela Kosgei leading another dominant championship performance.
It's the first time a program has swept the team titles three years in a row since UNM won both the men's and women's titles for six straight years from 2009-2014.
Evans Kiplagat won his first MW individual XC title in his final conference cross country race, leading seven consecutive Lobo finishers across the line as UNM posted a perfect 15-point score. The men secured their fourth consecutive conference championship and 10th overall, finishing well ahead of Air Force (54) and Wyoming (84).
Kosgei became the first woman in Mountain West history to win three individual cross country titles, finishing in 18:49.4 to lead a 1-2-3 finish and a 19-point effort from the sixth-ranked Lobo women. UNM placed all five scorers among the Top Seven to outpace Wyoming (55) and Air Force (58), claiming its third consecutive women’s championship and 18th in the last 19 seasons.
Kiplagat and Kosgei earned Mountain West Athlete of the Year honors, with Kosgei collecting the women’s award for the third consecutive season. Pasanjo Kitonga was named MW Men’s Freshman of the Year, making it four consecutive seasons with a Lobo earning the honor. Darren Gauson swept the Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year awards for the third straight season, bringing his total to seven MW Cross Country Coach of the Year honors and 11 across cross country and track & field.
The sweep brought UNM’s total to 28 Mountain West cross country team championships — 18 women’s and 10 men’s — while extending its streak of winning at least one conference team title to 19 consecutive seasons. It marked the ninth time the Lobos have won both team championships in the same year and the fifth time they have paired that sweep with both individual titles.
A total of 15 Lobos — eight men and seven women — earned All-MW honors with Top-14 finishes. UNM claimed all seven spots on the men’s First Team through Kiplagat, Kitonga, Collins Kiprotich, Vincent Chirchir, Joshua Abraham, Bilal Safadi and Lukas Kiprop, with Matthew Giardina (12th) adding Second Team recognition.
On the women’s side, Kosgei, Mercy Kirarei (2nd), Christina Nisoli (3rd), Jasmine Wood (6th) and Li-Mari Dekker (7th) earned First Team honors, while Faith Ngetich (12th) and Kylie Feeney (13th) joined them on the Second Team.
TEAM RESULTS
| Men's Team | Scoring | Total Points | Women's Team | Scoring | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 New Mexico | 1-2-3-4-5-(6)-(7) | 15 | #6 New Mexico | 1-2-3-6-7-(12)-(13) | 19 |
| Air Force | 8-10-11-12-13-(14)-(16) | 54 | Wyoming | 5-10-11-14-15-(16)-(18) | 55 |
| Wyoming | 9-17-18-19-21-(23)-(26) | 84 | Air Force | 4-8-9-17-20-(21)-(27) | 58 |
| Nevada | 20-24-25-28-32-(33)-(38) | 129 | Grand Canyon | 19-23-24-26-34-(47)-(48) | 126 |
| Grand Canyon | 27-29-30-31-34-(35)-(45) | 151 | Hawai‘i | 22-25-29-31-32-(40)-(43) | 139 |
| UTEP | 15-22-37-40-41-(44)-(50) | 155 | UC Davis | 28-30-37-38-41-(45)-(49) | 174 |
| UC Davis | 39-43-46-47-51-(52)-(53) | 226 | Nevada | 33-35-39-42-46-(53)-(58) | 195 |
| San José State | 36-42-48-49-54-(55)-(56) | 229 | UTEP | 36-44-54-57-59-(61)-(65) | 250 |
| UNLV | 50-51-55-56-62-(63)-(64) | 274 | |||
| San José State | 52-60-66-67-68-(69)-(70) | 313 |
UNM INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
| Men's Individual | Place | Time | Women's Individual | Place | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evans Kiplagat | 1 | 22:54.3 | Pamela Kosgei | 1 | 18:49.4 |
| Pasanjo Kitonga | 2 | 22:56.1 | Mercy Kirarei | 2 | 19:19.3 |
| Collins Kiprotich | 3 | 23:00.2 | Christina Nisoli | 3 | 19:58.6 |
| Vincent Chirchir | 4 | 23:09.3 | Jasmine Wood | 6 | 20:18.5 |
| Joshua Abraham | 5 | 23:32.9 | Li-Mari Dekker | 7 | 20:27.9 |
| Bilal Safadi | 6 | 23:39.5 | Faith Ngetich | 12 | 20:46.5 |
| Lukas Kiprop | 7 | 23:43.3 | Kylie Feeney | 13 | 20:49.1 |
| Matthew Giardina | 12 | 24:04.0 | Mia Torrecillas | 16 | 21:03.7 |
| Jayden Hernandez | 15 | 24:09.4 | Anya Belisle | 17 | 21:04.1 |
| Lukas Ehrle | 22 | 24:29.4 | Isabelle Bloker | 19 | 21:05.8 |
MEN’S 8K RECAP
The Lobos took control early, occupying the first seven positions by the 3K split and holding all five scoring spots at every checkpoint from that point forward. UNM’s front four remained separated by just four-tenths of a second at 6K, setting up an individual title battle between teammates over the closing two kilometers.
Kiplagat sat third at the final kilometer checkpoint before moving ahead to claim the championship in 22:54.3, finishing 1.8 seconds ahead of Kitonga (22:56.1). Kiprotich followed in third in 23:00.2, with Chirchir fourth in 23:09.3.
Abraham crossed fifth in 23:32.9 to complete the perfect team score, giving UNM a spread of just 38.6 seconds between its first and fifth finishers. Safadi (6th, 23:39.5) and Kiprop (7th, 23:43.3) completed the sweep of the First Team positions, with all seven Lobos finishing before any opposing runner.
Giardina moved up three places over the final kilometer to finish 12th in 24:04.0 and become UNM’s eighth All-MW honoree. Jayden Hernandez (15th, 24:09.4) and Lukas Ehrle (22nd, 24:29.4) rounded out the Lobos’ 10-man contingent, all of whom finished among the Top 22.
WOMEN’S 6K RECAP
Kosgei and Kirarei established themselves at the front from the opening kilometer and held the first two positions at every recorded split. Just 1.3 seconds separated the teammates at 2K before Kosgei steadily extended her advantage, building an 8.2-second lead at halfway and a 24.8-second cushion by 5K.
Kosgei finished in 18:49.4 to complete her third consecutive championship, crossing 29.9 seconds ahead of Kirarei’s runner-up finish in 19:19.3. Nisoli climbed from eighth at the opening kilometer to fourth by 2K, then moved into third by 4K and held that position through the finish in 19:58.6 to complete the Lobo podium sweep.
Wood (6th, 20:18.5) and Dekker (7th, 20:27.9) rounded out UNM’s 19-point score, improving on the Lobos’ winning 24-point total from last season.
Ngetich worked her way up from 30th at the opening kilometer to finish 12th in 20:46.5, with Feeney following in 13th in 20:49.1 to give UNM seven All-MW finishers. Mia Torrecillas (16th, 21:03.7), Anya Belisle (17th, 21:04.1) and Isabelle Bloker (19th, 21:05.8) completed a performance that placed all 10 Lobo women among the Top 19.