LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Following an offseason that included the outdoor track and field team winning their first conference title in 19 years, the NM State cross country teams are set to return to action on Saturday, September 2. The Aggies will kick off their 2023 slate with a home meet, the Lori Fitzgerald Memorial Open. Teams will compete at the NMSU Golf Course, with the first race set to begin at approximately 7:30 a.m. Fans can follow along with the meet through
chronotrack.
The Starting Line
- The Aggies will host the Lori Fitzgerald Memorial Open to begin the 2023 season. The women's 5k will start at 7:30 a.m., with the men's 5k beginning at approximately 8:00 a.m.
- Schools set to compete at the Lori Fitzgerald Memorial Open include New Mexico, UTEP, Western New Mexico, Eastern New Mexico, NMJC, EPCC alongside the Aggies.
- This is the first of four meets the Aggies will compete in before the 2023 CUSA Cross Country Championships on October 28, held in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Following that race, any Aggies who qualify would advance to the NCAA Mountain Regional, hosted by Texas Tech on November 10.
- NM State was picked third in the CUSA Cross Country Preseason Women's Poll, while the men were selected fourth. Liberty and Middle Tennesee represented the top two teams in each poll, with the Flames topping the men's poll, while the Blue Raiders were projected atop the women's poll.
2022 Year in Review
- Maggie Gibbs led the way for NM State at the 2022 edition of the Lori Fitzgerald Memorial Open, finishing in third with a time of 17:49.7, setting a personal best that still stands. Anekin Hetman topped the Aggie finishers in the men's race, taking fourth with a time of 15:10.7.
- Emily Stutesman led the way for NM State at the 2022 Western Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships as the lone Aggie to earn first team All-Conference honors. Thobile and Thulise Amon earned second team All-Conference honors in the women's division, while Anekin Hetman represented the lone All-Conference member for the men's team, earning a second team selection.
- Eight Aggies – Thobile and Thulisile Amon, Gibbs, Hetman, Kayla O'Connell, Richelle Sandin, Stuseman and Collins Yego represented the Crimson & White at the 2022 NCAA Mountain Regional. Emily Stutesman earned the top finish among the Aggies after recording a time of 21:24.7
Fresh Faces
- The Aggies welcome eight new members of the cross country teams, with a wealth of accolades and talent between them.
- Nia Allison, Derick Castellanos, Trista Cordova, Thomas Croshaw, Murrie Dodge, Tyler Goode, Yisel Palacios and Nya Valenzuela round out the Aggie newcomers, all of them entering the season as true freshmen.
- Castellanos, Cordova, Croshaw and Palacios come to NM State after competing in the Land of Enchantment in High School, with Allison (Texas), Dodge (Colorado), Goode (Georgia), and Valenzuela (Arizona) committing to the Aggies from across the country.
CUSA Check-In
- As one of four universities joining CUSA ahead of the 2023-24 season (Liberty, Jacksonville State, Sam Houston), the Aggies have plenty of new conference members to acclimate with.
- Last season, Charlotte swept both the men's and women's Conference USA Cross Country Championships, though they have since moved to the American Athletic Conference. Middle Tennessee took second in the men's division, while UTEP finished as the runner-up on the women's side.
One Year Ago… | Lori Fitzgerald Open | 9.3.22
- Maggie Gibbs led the way for NM State at the 2022 edition of the Lori Fitzgerald Memorial Open, finishing in third with a time of 17:49.7, setting a personal best that still stands. Anekin Hetman topped the Aggie finishers in the men's race, taking fourth with a time of 15:10.7.
- Three other Aggies posted personal bests including Thulisile Amon (18:07.8), Jacob Grosch (16:44.8) and Kayla O'Connell (19:24.5).
For complete coverage of NM State Cross Country, visit
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