Rapid City, South Dakota - The New Mexico Highlands cross country teams competed at the RMAC Cross Country Championships on Saturday, facing a field that included 17 nationally ranked programs among the men and women.
Men Take 9th Led by Chebon & Three Personal Bests
The Cowboys finished 9th in the team standings with 258 points. Senior Weldon Chebon led Highlands with a 12th-place finish (23:52 over 8k), earning First Team All-RMAC honors. James Kurui finished 33rd in 24:57.
After #3 runner Kelvin Kogei was forced to step off the course due to injury, the middle of the lineup stepped up to complete the scoring. Xavier Martinez finished 62nd with a collegiate personal best of 25:55, followed by Lawrence Ragland in 68th (26:07). Freshmen Josh Mastrantoni (83rd, 27:02) and Jacob Sierra (90th, 27:23) both set collegiate personal bests, while Brandon Mirabal finished 95th (28:25).
"The RMAC is a tough conference with eight nationally ranked programs," Head Coach Bob DeVries said. "We thought we could score in the low 200s, but having to pull Kelvin off the course hurt our team score. However, our middle guys stepped up - Xavier, Josh, and Jacob all ran collegiate bests, which is encouraging as we head to Regionals."
Cowboy Results (8K):
Weldon Chebon – 12th (23:52) (All-RMAC)
James Kurui – 33rd (24:57)
Xavier Martinez – 62nd (25:55) (Collegiate PR)
Lawrence Ragland – 68th (26:07)
Josh Mastrantoni – 83rd (27:02) (Collegiate PR)
Jacob Sierra – 90th (27:23) (Collegiate PR)
Brandon Mirabal – 95th (28:25)
Kelvin Kogei – DNF
Women Place 15th; Roybal Sets 6K PR
The Cowgirls finished 15th in the team standings. Joan Kuyo led Highlands in 65th place, while Maria Roybal ran a collegiate personal best of 24:21 over 6k to finish 70th.
"You can't sugarcoat finishing last in the conference. I expect better from myself and from our team," DeVries said. "I need to do a better job preparing them, and our runners need to believe they are ready to race when they get on the line."
Cowgirl Highlights (6K):
Joan Kuyo – 65th
Maria Roybal – 70th (24:21) (Collegiate PR)
New Mexico Highlands competes at the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Championships in Lubbock, Texas, on Nov. 21st.
