LAS CRUCES, N.M. – For the final time in September, NM State is back in action, heading west to Tucson for the Dave Murray Invitational, hosted by the University of Arizona at the Tucson Country Club. This is the first meet for the Aggies outside the Land of Enchantment, and serves as the penultimate regular-season meet.
The Starting Line
- For the first time in the 2025 season, NM State readies to compete outside the state of New Mexico, competing at the Dave Murray Invitational hosted by the University of Arizona on Saturday, Sept. 27. The men's 8k will start at 8:00 a.m. MT, with the women's 6k beginning at approximately 8:35 a.m. MT. Fans can follow along with live results through finishedtiming.com.
- Last season, the Aggie women notched a runner-up finish, with the men finishing fourth as a squad.
- The Aggies will compete in four regular-season meets ahead of the 2025 CUSA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1, held in Huntsville, Ala. Following that race, any Aggies who qualify would advance to the NCAA Mountain Regional, hosted by the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on November 14.
- NM State was picked fourth in the CUSA Cross Country Preseason Women's Poll and fifth in the Men's Poll. Middle Tennessee and Liberty represented the top two teams in each poll, with the Flames earning 13 of a possible 22 first-place votes across both polls.
Fresh Faces
- The Aggies welcome nine new members of the cross country teams, with a wealth of accolades and talent between them.
- NM State landed five transfers in Omer Ibrahim (Tarleton), Quenton Metz (Mesa CC), Adéla Steinsová (Purdue), Eloïse Stuart (Miami [FL]) and Nick Valle (Mesa CC).
- Along with the transfers, the Crimson & White added four freshman in the recruiting class – Abigail Beam, Ainsleigh Kasprick, Brooke Kelly and Kobe Rodriguez.
- Beam (Rio Rancho), Kelly (Albuquerque), and Rodriguez (Las Cruces) join from the Land of Enchantment, while Omer Ibrahim makes a return to the Borderland, competing at nearby Pebble Hills High School from 2020-2024.
CUSA Check-In
- As conference realignment continues to rattle collegiate athletics, Conference USA welcomes a pair of new members ahead of the 2025-26 season, with Delaware and Missouri State joining the existing ten member programs. Delaware joins from the Coastal Athletic Association, while Missouri State departs from the Missouri Valley Conference.
- In the recently released Conference USA Preseason Poll, Delaware was picked sixth with Missouri State selected eighth overall (neither program has a men's cross country program).
- Last season, Liberty swept both the men's and women's Conference USA Cross Country Championships, claiming their first conference championships as members of CUSA.
One Year Ago… | Dave Murray Invitational | 9.28.24
- In the women's 6K, Khloi Bird built up to a solid performance, taking the top spot among Aggies with an 11th-place result and a time of 21.52.5, helping the team tally a runner-up finish.
- Jordan Torres (22:08.0), Amanda Radava (22:11.7), Kayla O'Connell (22:11.9) and Marlene Mosqueda (22:14.9) posted new personal bests on the day.
- Sophomore Thomas Croshaw took the top result on the men's side, posting a new personal best with a time of 23:31.6.
- Alongside Croshaw, Arizona transfer Andrew Gibby posted his best result in the 8K, taking 20th overall with a time of 24:18.1.
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