LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Aggies are back in action for one final time in the regular season on Friday, Oct. 18 as they take part in the Arturo Barrios Invitational. Held in Bryan, Texas at Watts Cross Country Course and hosted by Texas A&M, the men will compete first in the 8K, while the women will compete in the 6K. The men's race is slated for 7:30 a.m. (MT), while the women's race will begin at approximately 8:15 a.m. (MT). Fans can follow along with the action via this
link.
The Starting Line
- NM State will compete in the Arturo Barrios Invitational on Friday, Oct. 17, from Watts Cross Country Course for the final meet of the regular season. The men's 8K will start at 7:30 a.m., with the women's 6K beginning at approximately 8:15 a.m.
- By far the largest meet the Aggies will compete in this season, the Crimson & White will run alongside 39 other programs such as Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, Georgia Tech, MTSU, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and UTSA.
- This is the final regular season meet the Aggies will compete in ahead of the 2024 CUSA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 2, held in Oxford, Ala. Following that race, any Aggies who qualify would advance to the NCAA Mountain Regional, hosted by the University of Nevada on Nov. 13.
Fresh Faces
- The Aggies welcome 14 new members to the cross country teams, with a wealth of accolades and talent between them.
- NM State landed six transfers in Jonah Archer (GCU), Khloi Bird (Butler CC), Valeria Macias Casas (Universidad Autonoma de Coahuila), Andrew Gibby (Arizona), Rachel O'Brien (Adams State) and Amanda Radava (ULM).
- Along with the transfers, the Crimson & White added seven freshman in the recruiting class – LeslieAnn Apodaca, Orion Chavez, Angel Maese, Alexandra Ordaz, Marisa Sena, Gabriel Uranga and Leo Valenzuela.
- Apodaca (Las Cruces), Chavez (Albuquerque), and Sena (Albuquerque) join from the Land of Enchantment, while Maese, Ordaz, Uranga and Valenzuela add to the program from nearby El Paso.
- At the NM State hosted Lori Fitzgerald Memorial Open, freshman Leo Valenzuela recorded the third fastest time among Aggie men, crossing the line with a time of 15:30.46. In Albuquerque, Orion Chavez posted the fastest time among NM State freshman, finishing with a mark of 15:33.1.
One Year Ago… | Arturo Barrios Invitational | 10.13.23
- Thomas Croshaw proved himself in the men's 8k to begin the morning, improving his time throughout the race, jumping from 65th through the first 2k to finish 42nd – among 365 entrants – with a time of 24.08.2.
- Nick Allred joined Croshaw and Yego as Aggies to set personal bests on the day, crossing the line with a time of 25:26.4 to finish third for NM State.
- Jordan Torres continued to put together a strong 2023 campaign, once again setting a personal best with a time of 22:40.2. Setting a personal record in the 5k at the Lori Fitzgerald Memorial Open to begin the year, the sophomore from El Paso has posted a new personal best in each race this season.
- At day's end, the women collected a 20th place finish with 518 points, while the men finished 26th with 697.
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