The New Mexico men's cross country team secured their second consecutive Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational team title on Friday, according to a October 9 report. The top-ranked Lobos finished with a 59-point team score at the Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wis., while the Lobo women finished fourth in the team standings.
The men's victory included a 34-point margin over runner-up Colorado. Pasanjo Kitonga finished second individually with a time of 22:30.8, which was a personal best by 53.6 seconds. Other scoring finishers for the men included Evans Kiplagat in seventh, Collins Kiprotich in eighth, Vincent Chirchir in 20th, and Joshua Abraham in 22nd. All five scoring members of the men's team finished within the top 25 individuals, with the group averaging 22:49.2.
The Lobo women recorded a total of 157 points to secure fourth place, finishing ahead of 13 ranked teams. Mercy Kirarei led the team with a third-place individual finish in 19:21.8, setting a personal best. Pamela Kosgei finished 13th in 19:35.3 despite losing a shoe during the early stages of the race. Other scoring members for the women were Christina Nisoli in 31st, Li-Mari Dekker in 52nd, and Jasmine Wood in 58th.
In the women's B race, Faith Ngetich secured third place to help New Mexico achieve a second-place finish with 65 points. The scoring lineup for the B race included Mia Torrecillas in 11th, Noel Barlette in 16th, Anya Belisle in 17th, and Isabelle Bloker in 30th. In the men's B race, Bilal Safadi finished fourth in his collegiate debut with a time of 23:54.3.
The Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational is considered the largest regular-season cross country meet in the country. This victory marks the sixth time a UNM squad has won a team title at the event, including women's titles in 2015, 2017, 2021, and 2022, and a men's title last season.
