RUIDOSO, N.M. – The New Mexico State cross country teams won the Texas Tech – New Mexico State Duel at the Ruidoso Fitness Trail on Friday afternoon. The women's team defeated TTU 15-47 while the men's team topped the Red Raiders 24-31. Seniors
Crissey Amberg and
Eli Kosgei placed first among all competitors.
"It was a good start to our season. There are definitely some things for us to work on, but each side did a great job competing. It's easy to make adjustments when that's the case," assistant coach
Joseph Rath said. "I know the teams are excited about the wins. We will get back to work and use this meet as a big positive we can build on."
The women's team competed on the 4,500m course and posted the top-five collegiate times at the meet.
Crissey Amberg came out on top with a time of 18:06.50. Her twin sister
Cassey Amberg followed, clocking in at 18:27.70.
Jess Dominguez was the first freshman to finish, posting a time of 18:35.00.
Kelli Kirkpatrick (18:35.60) and
Julia Yescas (18:36.70) rounded out the Aggies who finished before any Red Raider runners.
Elana Kresl (18:57.40),
Sydney Salas (19:00.10) and
Stephanie Quintero (19:02.50) posted impressive times and finished among the top-10 collegiate runners.
On the men's side, Kosgei came out on top in the 6,200m race, clocking in at 21:23.40.
Jose Silva was the next Aggie to finish, coming in third with a time of 21:30.90.
Aaron Valenzuela (21:41.80) and
Jereme Santistevan (21:43.40) followed closely behind to finish in fifth and sixth, respectively. Rounding out the NM State team was
Abel Ketema who clocked in at 21:50.10 and
James McLain who recorded a time of 22:07.90.
The Aggies look to keep their momentum when they head to the Lobo Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 2, in Albuquerque, N.M. The teams compete on the 5,000m course at approximately 9:50 a.m. (MT).
