Meet One
Lori Fitzgerald Memorial Open
Saturday, Sept. 18 | 7:40 a.m. (men's race) • 8:10 a.m. (women's race) | NM State Golf Course | Las Cruces, N.M.
Live Results
THE STARTING LINE
• For the first time in three years, the NM State men's and women's cross country teams will race in Las Cruces. The Aggies will serve as the host institution for the 2021 Lori Fitzgerald Memorial Open which is set to take place at the NM State Golf Course Saturday morning.
• Both the men's and women's races are of the five-kilometer variety and action begins with the men's race at 7:40 a.m. The gun for the women's race will go off at 8:10 a.m.
THE FIELD
• In total, six institutions are sending student-athletes to complete in the meet. In addition to NM State's men's and women's cross country teams, the squads from El Paso Community College, New Mexico, New Mexico Highlands, UTEP and Western New Mexico will arrive to take their places on the starting line.
ABOUT THE AGGIES | MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
• Coming off of a sixth-place finish at the 2021 WAC Championships, the Aggies return four of their top five finishers from that event. Included in that group is Anekin Hetman who ran a personal best of 25:24.8 en route to a 17th-place finish.
• Kayn Quinones also returns for the Aggies. At last spring's WAC Championships, he was NM State's only other top-30 finisher, crossing the line in 25:59.20 - a 26th-place time.
• Looking to impress in their inaugural seasons are Jacob Grosch, Cole Shugart and Micah Too. Grosch, a freshman, helped his Bridgeland high School squad claim a trio of district titles.
• Shugart comes to Las Cruces following a four-year stint at Portland. A competitor on the Pilot's men's cross country, men's indoor track & field and men's outdoor track & field teams, Shugart is pursuing his second master's degree while he competes for NM State.
• Prior to NM State, Too competed for two seasons at Colby Community College. During his tenure at that institution, Too picked up a pair of top-15 finishes at the NJCAA Region VI Cross Country Championship meet.
ABOUT THE AGGIES | WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
• Led by their top returner in Emily Stutesman, the Aggies have their sights set on another upper-tier WAC finish after placing third at last spring's WAC Championship meet.
• In last spring's WAC Championship meet, Stutesman narrowly missed out on a top-ten finish. The Glendale, Ariz., product secured All-WAC Second Team honors after traversing the league's championship course in 21:54.2. Her 11th-place finish was the second best by an Aggie competitor in last spring's WAC Championship meet.
• Also back for NM State is Richelle Sandin who placed among the top 20 (20th) individual finishers at last spring's WAC Championship. Her time of 22:43.00 made her the third Aggie finisher in that event.
• Mia Regan, who posted a 25th-place finish at last spring's WAC Championship meet, is back for NM State as well.
• Four NM State newcomers - Thobile Amon, Thulisile Amon, Leah Clark and Mari Gallegos - are set to make their Aggie debuts this weekend as well. The Amon sisters hail from Middelburg, South Africa, and competed for Monroe College of the NJCAA for the 2019-20 campaign. Their respective 2020-21 seasons were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• An All-Region performer for NCAA Division III institution Emory, Clark placed 17th at the 2019 NCAA South/Southeast Region Championship meet. Gallegos remained in state to begin her collegiate career and was a standout performer at Albuquerque's Atrisco Heritage Academy.
COMING UP NEXT
• Following their lone meet in the month of September, the Aggies will have just about two weeks before taking part in their next competition. Tucson, Ariz., is NM State's destination and there the teams will compete in the Dave Murray Invitational hosted by Arizona.
• For complete coverage of NM State men's and women's cross country throughout the 2021 season, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Track/XC), Twitter (@NMStateXCTF) and Instagram (@NMStateXCTF).
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