LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Following a successful 2022-23 season capped with the program's first outdoor title since 2004, NM State is looking to keep the momentum going as they head into CUSA. Head Coach Joseph Rath announced the signing of 14 new student-athletes. Of the newest Aggies, ten will work with Coach Rath and Associate Head Coach Tony Davis as track/cross country student-athletes, while four will work with Assistant Coach Brian Korn on the throws team.
 
The Aggies went to work in their own backyard, picking up seven student-athletes from the Land of Enchantment – including a trio of 2023 NMAA State champions – Derick Castellanos (1600m, 3200m), Yisel Palacios (4x800) and Yvonne Stinson (100m dash). Kayla Phillip joins the Aggies out of Andress High School in El Paso; in 2022 she was named the 5A Bi-District Champion in the high jump, beating out current Aggie sophomore Aileen Alvarado who finished in third.
 
NM State also picked up three student-athletes from the Four Corners – Kamryn Cadle (Nevada), Murrie Dodge (Colorado) and Nya Valenzuela (Arizona). Cadle was named the 2022 5A State Champion in the discus, Dodge helped the Rock Canyon HS relay team make an appearance at the Colorado State Championships and Valenzuela finished third in the 3200m run at the AIA (Division II) State Championships.
 
"We're very excited about the group of freshmen coming in this year!" NM State Head Coach Joseph Rath stated. "For men's cross country we were able to keep a couple of the best runners in state with Thomas (Croshaw) and Derick (Castellanos), and we were also able to get a good one from Georgia, Tyler (Goode). These three will provide us with more depth and will look to surprise some as they transition to the longer distances in college cross country."
 
"On the women's side, we will have a pretty large senior class, so we are excited for this incoming group to come in and develop with a more veteran team than we have had in recent years. In the throws, we added a lot of depth in particular to the shot put and discus events. On the distance side, we have a mix of middle-distance and long-distance runners that will have a chance to run with six seniors in cross country this year. In the sprints and jumps Yvonne will add some depth to both event groups that have a lot of great returners."
 
"We're excited to get this group on campus and with the team in order to get to know them better on a daily basis. I know they are excited to improve and build upon our team's past success!"
 
Meet The Aggies
 
Nia Allison | Distance | Katy, Texas | Katy HS 
 
Allison joins the Aggies after running track and cross country for Katy High School in Katy, Texas; also joining Track Houston Youth in 2022. For the Katy High School Tigers, she posted personal bests in all the individual events she competed in during 2023 - the 800m (achieving a personal best of 2:16.39 at the UIL District 19-6A meet), 1600m (5:06.96, taking second in the UIL District 19&20 6A Area meet) and 3200m (11:19.20, with a second-place finish at the UIL District 19-6A meet), while also running on the relay and medley teams. Posting a time of 3:40 while running the 1200m portion of the distance medley relay, she helped break the school record; doing the same with the 4x800 team, posting a combined time of 9:11.53. She also made a pair of UIL District meets in cross country, finishing tenth in 2021 and improving to a time of 21:12.12 in the 2022 edition (recording a personal best of 20:22.15 as a senior). 
 
Kamryn Cadle | Throws | Las Vegas, Nev. | Rancho HS
 
Cadle comes to NM State from Rancho High School in Las Vegas, Nevada and has competed with Throwers Respect Field & Track in Las Vegas since 2017. Her personal best of 13.56m (44-6.00) in the shot put was the highest mark of the 2023 season in Nevada, and the 66^th best in the country; while her personal best of (127-2.00) in the discus ranked fourth in The Silver State. In 2022 Cadle took the NIAA State Championship crown in the shot put (10.82m; 35-6.00), and the NIAA 5A Southern Region title in the discus (36.90m ;121-1.00) For her efforts she was named to the 2022 Nevada Preps All-Southern Nevada Second Team. In 2023 she was named an Honorable Mention after recording a second-place finish in the shot put (12.78m; 41-11.25) at the NIAA 5A Southern Regional Championship to two-time Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year and BYU commit Ali'a Matavao, and taking third in the discus (37.41m; 122-9.00).
 
Derick Castellanos | XC/Distance | Lovington, N.M. | Lovington HS
 
Joining NM State after running cross country and track at Lovington High School, Castellanos claimed the 2023 4A NMAA State Championship in the 1600m, posting a time of 4:26.15, a personal best and school record. He also took the crown in the 3200m with a time of 9:53.82 a personal best and another school record. In the 800m run, Castellanos claimed a district championship and personal record with a time of 1:59.01, good for the second fastest in Wildcats' history. He is also in the Lovington HS record books for the 4x800 relay (second) and the Sprint Medley Relay team (second, eighth, ninth).
 
Samonne Cauley | Throws | Albuquerque, N.M. | Eldorado HS
 
Joins the Crimson & White after competing for Albuquerque's Eldorado High School. Cauley tops the Golden Eagle's record book in the shot put (2023, 11.64m), while also ranking eighth in the javelin (31.26m; 102-7) and 13^th in the discus (24.13m; 79-2). In 2023, she claimed the District 2-5A Championship in the shot put en route to a sixth-place finish at the NMAA 5A State Championships, while also finishing fifth in the javelin at the District 2-5A Championships and 16^th in the discus. Cauley has also appeared at the NMAA 5A State Championships in the shot put in 2022 and 2021, never finishing lower than eighth.
 
Trista Cordova | Distance | Albuquerque, N.M. | St. Pius X HS
 
Comes to the Aggies after running cross country and track and field for St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque. Cordova is a three-time all-state cross country selection, finishing seventh in the New Mexico State Championships in 2022 (19:38.3, a personal best) and 2021 (19:48.21). The 2022 season saw her run in the NXR Southwest Regional Championship, claiming 15^th among almost 200 entrants in the Small School division. In 2021, Cordova took the District 5-4A cross country crown after posting a time of 19:48.21; that spring, she earned District titles in both the 1600m (5:57.63) and 3200m, setting a personal best in the event at the NMAA 4A State Championships (10:47.34).
 
Thomas Croshaw | XC/Distance | Albuquerque, N.M. | Volcano Vista HS
 
Comes to NM State after competing in cross country and track for Volcano Vista High School, joining current Aggies and Volcano Vista graduates Angela Korte and Nick Ortiz. Croshaw ranks third in Hawks' history in the 3200m (9:47.00, a personal best), achieving this mark en route to a third-place finish at the 2023 NMAA 5A State Championships. He also ranks fourth in school history for the 1600m (4:28.64, a personal best), setting the mark and claiming fifth place at the 2023 NMAA 5A State Championships. In 2022, Croshaw recorded a time 9:56.76 in the 3200m run to earn the District 1-5A Championship. In cross country, he was named the District 1-5A Cross Country Champion during the 2022 season, taking second place at the New Mexico State Championships and setting a personal record (5k; 15:08.03). Finished 20^th in the 5k at the NXR Southwest Reginal Championship, competing amongst more than 200 entrants.
 
Murrie Dodge | Distance | Littleton, Colo. | Rock Canyon HS
 
Arrives with the Aggies after running for the track and cross country teams at Rock Canyon HS. A two-time State championship participant in cross country, she recorded her best placements at Regionals (12^th) and State (70^th) in 2020. This past season, Dodge recorded a personal best in the 5k at the NXR Southwest Regional Championship, finishing 23^rd with a time of 19:47.0 – just ahead of fellow NM State newcomer Nya Valenzuela (25^th; 19:49.3). During the spring, she helped Rock Canyon's 4x800 relay team earn a spot at the Colorado 5A State Championships, placing 16^th with a time of 9:48.12.
 
Tyler Goode | XC/Distance | Douglasville, Ga. | Alexander HS
 
Goode comes to the Aggies from Douglasville, Georgia, home of the Alexander Cougars, competing for both their track and field and cross country teams. In 2023 he secured a runner-up finish in the 1600m at the GHSA 6A – Region 5 Championships (4:38.86), posting a 12^th place finish at the GHSA 6A Sectional B. Goode has also competed in the GHSA Regionals and Sectionals in the 3200m. In 2022, Goode helped the team secure a GHSA State 6A State Championship in the 4x800 relay, crossing the line with a time of 8:00.22 – fourth fastest in Alexander HS history. In cross country, he was a three-time GHSA State Championships participant, finishing as high as 21^st in both 2021 (17:04.9) and 2022 (17:30.2).
 
Ladina Kobler | Throws | Amriswil, Switzerland | Amriwil-Athletics
 
Joins Aggie nation after competing with Amriswil-Athletics, a club team based in Switzerland, since 2021. Kobler sports an indoor best of 13.32m (43-8.50) in the weight throw – a Thurgau indoor record, while tallying outdoor bests of 14.24m (46-8.75) in the shotput and 43.32m (142-1.50) in the discus.
 
Brayle Mullins | Throws | Carlsbad, N.M. | Carlsbad HS
 
Mullins joins the Aggies after competing for Carlsbad High School. This past season, she made her second appearance at the NMAA 5A State Championships in the discus after setting a new personal best of 34.59m (113-6) to claim second place at the District 4-5A meet. Mullins also finished third in the shot put at District after posting a mark of 8.96m (29-5). In her sophomore season, she took home the district crown in the discus, while also taking eighth at state (29.41m; 96-6) – her best career finish.
 
Yisel Palacios | Distance | Hobbs, N.M. | Hobbs HS

Palacios joins the Crimson & White after competing in cross country and track and field at Hobbs High School. A versatile athlete, her name is scattered across the Eagles' record book with ten appearances – all ranked fifth or higher: 800m (2:22.56), 1600m (5:28.27), 3200m (12:01.0), 4x400 (4^th), 4x800 (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd) and SMR (1^st, 2^nd, 5^th). Palacios has dominated the District 4-5A Championships, taking first place in the 3200 in '23, '22, and '21, the 1600m also in '21, and the sprint medley relay and 4x400 in '22. This past season, she helped the 4x800 claim the State title after posting a time of 9:55.18. In cross country, she won the District 4-5A Championship in 2021 by setting a personal record of 19:07.0.
 
 Kayla Phillip | Jumps | El Paso, Texas | Andress HS
 
Competed for Andress High School in El Paso and the El Paso Wings Track Club prior to joining the Aggies. In 2023, she set a personal best in the high jump (1.62m, 5-4.00), while claiming the UIL 5A District 1 title and the UIL District 1&2 4A/5A Area Meet. She also won at the same meet in 2022 – edging out current Aggie Aileen Alvarado who finished in third. In the long jump, she set a new personal best of 5.28m (17-4.00) at the UIL 5A District 1 Championship, taking tenth at UIL 4A Regionals.
 
Yvonne Stinson | Distance/Jumps | Alamogordo, N.M. | Alamogordo HS
 
Joins the Aggies after competing for Alamogordo High School. In the spring, Stinson won the NMAA 5A State Championship 100m title with a time of 12.26 – defending her 2022 win (recording a personal best of 11.91 in the prelims, the best mark in New Mexico). Also in 2022, she claimed the state title in the 200m (tallying a personal best of 24.88 at the 3-5 District championships, the fastest time in the state) and the high jump, while taking second in the long jump. Other personal bests include the high jump (1.72m; 5-8.00, the 44^th best mark in the country for 2023) and the long jump (5.71m; 18-9.00)
 
Nya Valenzuela | Distance | Glendale, Ariz. | Deer Valley HS
 
Valenzuela becomes the ninth Aggie in the track and field program from the state of Arizona, and the second from Deer Valley High School – joining 2023 WAC Second-Team selection Emily Stutesman. Sweeping the 800m, 1600m, and the 3200m at the AIA Division III Championships, she advanced to the AIA State Track & Field Championships. At the 2022 state championships, Valenzuela posted personal bests in the 800m (2:19.37) and the 3200m (10:59.55; third in finals), with her personal best time of 5:07.18 in the 2021 edition (finishing third in the finals). During the 2021 cross country season, she finished sixth at the AIA State Championships (Division II/III) and sixth in the NXR Southwest Regional (Large School) among more than 120 entrants with a time of 19:26.50 She also ran for Flight Club Track in 2023, participating in USATF Arizona meets.
 
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