Lubbock, Texas - The New Mexico Highlands University cross country teams posted solid finishes at the Texas Tech Open on Friday morning, including standout performances against a deep field of DI, D2, and nationally ranked junior college programs.
All-American
Weldon Chebon led the charge for the Cowboys, placing third overall behind two All-American runners from Texas Tech. His time of 24:08 not only set a new program record on the Texas Tech course, but also put him nearly 25 seconds ahead of West Texas A&M's Adrian Legaretta, a top-10 finisher at last year's NCAA Championships.
Sophomore
James Kurui executed a patient and tactical race, steadily moving up through the pack to finish 13th in a competitive field.
"Weldon and James raced really smart today," said head coach
Bob DeVries. "They beat some very tough runners."
Rounding out the Cowboy top five were
Xavier Martinez (27:05),
Jude Martinez (29:44), and
Alonso Torres (30:34).
With one key runner missing from the lineup, the Cowboys still managed a 9th place team finish out of 15 schools.
"We're missing our third man right now," DeVries added. "We're looking forward to being full strength at home in a couple weeks."
On the women's side, sophomore
Summer Abeyta continued her breakout season, clocking a personal best of 23:11 over the 6K course to finish 20th out of 103 runners.
Freshmen
Hailey Renteria (28th, 24:19) and
Taylor Begay (29th, 24:20) ran stride-for-stride, both cracking the top 30 and showing strong team chemistry.
Completing the scoring five for NMHU were Aaliyah Maria (27:16) and Misha Jade Samuels (27:57).
The Cowgirls placed 8th out of 14 teams, with more firepower coming soon with the expected addition of top runner Joan Kuyo to the lineup.
"Summer ran a brave race," said DeVries. "She struggled last year over 6K and proved something to herself today. I'm excited by Hailey and Taylor and the way they push each other and help each other through the races."
Expect to see both teams at full strength for the HU XC Jam on September 26th at the Gene Torres Golf Course in historic Las Vegas.
