MADISON, Wis. – New Mexico’s top-ranked men backed up their national ascent with their second Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational team title in a row Friday at Zimmer Championship Course, with the No. 4 Lobo Women finishing fourth in the team score.
The Lobo men outpaced a field of 20 other nationally-ranked teams at the biggest regular-season cross country meet in the counrty, including nine other teams that entered this week among the Top 15 in the nation. It’s the sixth time a UNM squad has won the men’s or women’s team title at Nuttycombe – the women won in 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2022 and the men won for the first time last season.
| Place | Men’s Team | Scoring | Total Points | Place | Women’s Team | Scoring | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #1 New Mexico | 2-7-8-20-22-(159)-(178) | 59 | 1 | #9 West Virginia | 5-6-11-19-25-(44)-(112) | 66 |
| 2 | #6 Colorado | 1-14-21-26-31-(106)-(136) | 93 | 2 | #13 Florida | 1-9-12-40-49-(170) | 111 |
| 3 | #7 BYU | 5-18-34-42-47-(85)-(91) | 146 | 3 | #3 Northern Arizona | 14-15-23-28-50-(72)-(84) | 130 |
| 4 | #16 Arkansas | 15-16-32-65-80-(149)-(221) | 208 | 4 | #4 New Mexico | 3-13-31-52-58-(102)-(122) | 157 |
| 5 | #10 Florida | 6-40-50-59-66-(71)-(88) | 221 | 5 | #16 Colorado | 7-16-21-51-71-(85)-(104) | 166 |
| 6 | #8 Wake Forest | 4-39-48-62-69-(107)-(201) | 222 | 6 | #20 Toledo | 4-37-38-62-73-(80)-(81) | 214 |
| 7 | #30 Georgetown | 24-29-72-82-108-(131)-(209) | 315 | 7 | #17 Washington State | 26-42-45-61-89-(106)-(119) | 263 |
| 8 | #15 Stanford | 25-61-63-70-109-(114)-(141) | 328 | 8 | #14 Utah | 29-34-47-69-98-(139)-(143) | 277 |
| 9 | #12 Wisconsin | 53-54-55-68-126-(144)-(165) | 356 | 9 | #19 Missouri | 20-35-59-64-153-(154) | 331 |
| 10 | #19 Harvard | 23-27-74-97-145-(170)-(224) | 366 | 10 | #5 Iowa State | 2-10-22-135-199-(219) | 368 |
| 11 | #23 Eastern Kentucky | 10-52-87-99-127-(155)-(194) | 375 | 11 | #22 Northwestern | 46-66-74-86-136-(165)-(189) | 408 |
| 12 | #22 Tennessee | 11-12-46-110-208 | 387 | 12 | #11 Stanford | 27-43-105-109-133 | 417 |
| 13 | #11 Northern Arizona | 43-77-83-94-119-(150) | 416 | 13 | #21 Minnesota | 24-48-92-117-140-(169)-(188) | 421 |
| 14 | Minnesota | 49-56-93-102-118-(151)-(198) | 418 | 14 | #29 Penn State | 39-77-79-111-118-(127)-(157) | 424 |
| 15 | #18 Michigan State | 33-73-76-116-137-(154)-(174) | 435 | 15 | Princeton | 53-60-87-90-138-(149)-(196) | 428 |
Meanwhile, the women held their own with a fourth-place finish to beat 13 ranked teams in the field despite running without 2026 NCAA Outdoor 5,000m champion Marion Jepgnetich and Pamela Kosgei losing a shoe in the early stages of the race.
Pasanjo Kitonga finished second individually to lead the men to a 59-point total and a 34-point victory over runner-up Colorado. Mercy Kirarei paced the women with a third-place individual finish as UNM totaled 157 points, giving the Lobos an individual top-three finisher in both races.
| Men’s UNM Finishers | Women’s UNM Finishers |
|---|---|
| 2. Pasanjo Kitonga – 22:30.8 | 3. Mercy Kirarei – 19:21.8 |
| 7. Evans Kiplagat – 22:40.7 | 13. Pamela Kosgei – 19:35.3 |
| 8. Collins Kiprotich – 22:43.3 | 31. Christina Nisoli – 20:00.5 |
| 20. Vincent Chirchir – 23:03.2 | 52. Li-Mari Dekker – 20:20.4 |
| 22. Joshua Abraham – 23:08.0 | 58. Jasmine Wood – 20:24.8 |
| 161. Jayden Hernandez – 24:18.7 | 102. Rilyn Stevens – 20:53.7 |
| 177. Lukas Ehrle – 24:26.9 | 122. Elia Ton-That – 21:01.1 |
MEN’S 8K RECAP
Pasanjo Kitonga’s runner-up finish paced New Mexico to their second Nuttycombe team title in a row with three Lobos in the top eight and all five scorers among the top 22 for a winning total of 59 points. The Lobos backed up their No. 1 ranking with a stifling team performance, beating second-place Colorado by 34 points as they took home the Nuttycombe trophy yet again.
Kitonga crossed in 22:30.8, just seven-tenths of a second behind the individual winner – Colorado’s Meshack Kipruto – while Evans Kiplagat finished seventh in 22:40.7 and Collins Kiprotich took eighth in 22:43.3. Vincent Chirchir placed 20th in 23:03.2, and Joshua Abraham completed the scoring in 22nd at 23:08.0. UNM’s scoring five averaged 22:49.2 with a spread of just 37.3 seconds.
Four of UNM’s five scorers posted collegiate 8K personal bests, with Kitonga lowering his previous mark by 53.6 seconds to finish in 22:30.8. Kiprotich trimmed 32.4 seconds off his best with a time of 22:43.3, while Abraham improved by 30.4 seconds to 23:08.0 and Kiplagat cut 18 seconds off his previous best to cross in 22:40.7.
The Lobos took control over the middle stages of the race, climbing from second with 110 points at 2K to first with 75 at the halfway mark. New Mexico strengthened its position with 58 points at 6K before closing with 59 to secure the victory.
Kitonga steadily worked his way to the front, advancing from 11th at 2K to fifth at 4K before taking the lead at the 6K checkpoint. The freshman covered the stretch from 4K to 6K in 5:31.5 and remained in contention for the individual title through the finish.
Kiplagat and Kiprotich made similar moves to put three Lobos near the front entering the final two kilometers. Kiplagat climbed from 19th at 2K to 13th at 4K and sixth at 6K before finishing seventh, while Kiprotich advanced from 22nd to 18th to seventh before crossing eighth.
Chirchir moved up 14 places between the first two checkpoints to reach seventh at halfway and ultimately gave UNM its fourth top-20 finisher. Abraham gained ground at every checkpoint, progressing from 37th at 2K to 32nd at 4K and 26th at 6K before picking up four more spots over the final two kilometers to finish 22nd.
Jayden Hernandez finished 161st in 24:18.7 after gaining 48 places from the 2K checkpoint, including 16 over the closing two kilometers. Lukas Ehrle rounded out the Lobo lineup in 177th at 24:26.9, moving up 28 positions over the second half of the race.
WOMEN’S 6K RECAP
Mercy Kirarei’s third-place finish led New Mexico to fourth in the women’s 6K, as the Lobos placed two runners in the top 15 and totaled 157 points.
Kirarei crossed in 19:21.8, just 2.3 seconds behind the individual winner, after leading the field at both the 2K and 4K checkpoints. Pamela Kosgei joined her near the front throughout the opening four kilometers and staying attached to the front pack even after losing her shoe early on in the race -- she went on to finish 13th in 19:35.3.
The Lobos steadily improved their team standing, moving from sixth with 248 points at 2K to fourth with 170 at 4K before trimming another 13 points over the final two kilometers. UNM’s five scorers averaged 19:56.6 with a spread of 1:03.1.
Christina Nisoli fueled that climb, gaining 40 places between the first two checkpoints and two more down the stretch to finish 31st in 20:00.5. Li-Mari Dekker and Jasmine Wood rounded out the scoring with sustained moves through the field. Dekker improved from 84th at 2K to 66th at 4K before finishing 52nd in 20:20.4, while Wood climbed from 85th to 67th to 58th, crossing in 20:24.8.
Rilyn Stevens made the largest jump among the Lobos, advancing 86 places after the 2K checkpoint to finish 102nd in 20:53.7. Elia Ton-That followed in 122nd at 21:01.1, gaining 48 positions over the final four kilometers.
Four Lobos posted collegiate 6K personal bests, led by Kirarei, who trimmed 29.3 seconds off her previous best with her third-place time of 19:21.8. Nisoli improved her best by 28.1 seconds to finish in 20:00.5, while Dekker (20:20.4) and Stevens (20:53.7) lowered their previous marks by 17.6 and 4.9 seconds, respectively.