LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico State cross country hosted in the Kachina Classic at the NM State Track on Saturday. The women's and men's teams placed first at the meet.
 
"We had a great turnout for the competition. I thought the women's team did a good job staying composed," head coach Doug Reynolds said. "The team did a good job working with one another and ran a good race. We still have things we need to work on but overall, I'm pleased with the progression I saw today."
 
In the women;s 5k race, Crissey Amberg took the top spot for NM State placing fourth among collegiate competitors and fifth overall when she clocked in at 17:57.19. Julia Yescas was the next Aggie to finish when she posted a time of 18:22.38 for sixth place. Sydney Salas (18:24.50) and Jess Dominguez (18:27.08) placed seventh and eighth, respectively. Nichole Gomez (18:37.20) and Leah Salazar (18:43.64) closed out the Aggies who finished in the collegiate top 10.
 
"On the men's side, the team looked like they've improved over the last few weeks," Reynolds said. "I felt that aside from a few mistakes, we ran the best we have all season. That's the goal, to keep improving as the season progresses."
 
The top runner on NM State's men's team was Eli Kosgei, who placed second in the 7k race when he clocked in at 21:26.03. Abel Ketema followed closely behind in third place and a time of 21:26.56. Jose Silva (21:36.25) and Jereme Santistevan (21:44.63) rounded out the top five, finishing in fourth and fifth, respectively. James McLain finished in the top 10 with a time of 21:17.64.
 
NM State is back in action on Sept.30 when the teams travel to Sacramento, Calif. for the Capital Cross Challenge.