New Mexico Highlands University sophomore
Andrew Amor picked up his third consecutive meet win and both the HU men and women raced to runner up finishes at the HU XC JAM Friday afternoon on the Gene Torres Golf course. Both squads came up just one point shy of taking first.
A rain-soaked course slowed race times as the runners traversed soggy fairways and, in places, ankle deep mud. "I thought the race might not even happen," said HU assistant coach Cesar Alviso, "The rain let up just in time and the weather was almost ideal."
Amor took control of the race early, holding off a mid-race challenge from El Paso CC's Adam Biwot to clock 25:43 for the 8k course.
Collins Kurui (5th/26:56) was the Cowboys second finisher and Bernard Kipruto (8th/27:38) raced third.
Nathias Rael (10th/28:31) and
John Hall 11th/28:35) were the fourth and fifth Cowboy scorers while Gabe Gonzales (19th/30:29) raced his way into the top twenty for the first time this season.
The men fell to Trinidad State College 34-35. El Paso CC (55 points) placed third and Oklahoma Panhandle University ran fourth.
"This was a tough race-- the sun came out, but conditions on the ground were draining. And both Trinidad and El Paso are ranked in the top ten in the nation among junior colleges," said HU head coach
Bob DeVries, "These were quality teams "
Faith Lovato (3rd/20:48) led the women's charge for the third consecutive meet and
Nieves Pacheco (20:56) put on a furious charge over the final 20O meters to grab fourth place by less than a second.
Anabella Miller (8th/21:40) finished third for the Cowgirls and
Faith Jebet (11th/21:56) made her first appearance in the HU scoring five.
Jewels Leslie (22:04) was right behind Jebet in 12th place and
Mia Vigil (17th/24:08) also cracked the top twenty.
Like the men, the women missed the team title by just a point as El Paso CC took the win 37-38. Trinidad was third with 54 and Oklahoma Panhandle fourth at 104. The El Paso CC (#8) and Trinidad State (#5) women's programs are ranked even higher nationally than their male counterparts among junior colleges.
"I'm really proud of how we raced. A lot of people showed up to support the team and we gave them a good show," added DeVries.
The teams will race next at the Fort Hays Invite on Oct. 9.
