The Lobo women’s cross country team ran into the history books on Friday, notching its 10th-straight Mountain West Championship.
As part of a program that ranks second nationwide, the women showed they are worthy of the high designation and expectations by snagging four of the top five finishes — and six of the top 12 spots.
New Mexico head coach Joe Franklin complimented their performance and seemed pleased that the squad rose to the occasion against a quality field.
“They ran really well,” Franklin said in a release. “This group of women is currently one of the best groups of women in the country, and they show it.”
Sophomore Ednah Kurgat secured her third straight individual win as a Lobo, finishing the six-kilometer race in 19:58.77. She also took top honors at the Joe Piane Notre Dame and Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitationals.
Kurgat finished in front of fellow Lobos Weini Kelati and Charlotte Prouse in a 1-2-3 finish to make it tough for any other competing schools to have a shot at dethroning the champs.
Alice Wright finished in fifth place with a time of 20:54.87, and Sophie Eckel rounded out the scoring, running 21:19.75 to come in 11th place overall.
Boise State ran a strong race as well, with all five scorers finishing in the top 16 of the event to log an impressive team score of 50 points, but it was more than double that of New Mexico’s final total of just 22 points.
On the men’s side, New Mexico ran well and earned a fifth-place finish. Alexander Palm had been the most consistent scorer for the Lobos this season, but it was Josh Kerr who was the first University of New Mexico runner to cross the finish line.
He came in seventh place with a time of 24:01.47 in the eight-kilometer run, while Palm continued to be steady with a time of 24:26.95 — good for 12th place.
The final scorer for New Mexico was Jonny Glen notching with a time of 24:59.00 to finish 33rd in the competition.
Tightening the spread between scorers was likely a point of emphasis and doing so could serve the team well moving forward.
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“The men did really well,” Franklin said in a release. “We’re four points off No. 19 Utah State, and we still haven’t had a great race. We have parts of races, and if all the guys can put it together on a given day, then they could make the national championship.”
The New Mexico men finished with a respectable team score of 97, but it was Colorado State that cruised to the Mountain West Championship with a low score of 31 total points. The Rams accounted for five of the top 15 runners and had the top two individual performances to help aid the cause.
The UNM women’s streak of 10 straight conference championships is the longest active streak in Division I competition, according to a release. And Kelati’s performance garnered her Freshman of the Year recognition.
Additionally, the release said Franklin was awarded his ninth MW Coach of the Year, while New Mexico swept Athlete, Freshman and Coach of the Year honors.
New Mexico will head to Logan, Utah to compete in the NCAA Mountain Regional Championships on Nov. 10 with a shot to automatically quality for nationals on the line.
Robert Maler is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers basketball, football and tennis. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Robert_Maler.
