BRYAN, Texas – NM State returned to action for its regular season finale, traveling down south to compete in the prestigious Arturo Barrios Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M. With over 40 teams racing in both the men's 8k and women's 6k and more than 800 student-athletes combined, this served as one of the largest meets with some of the top talent around the nation.
 
Opening the morning with the men's race, Albuquerque native Thomas Croshaw proved he belonged with the best of the best at Watts Cross Country Course, taking ninth overall with a time of 23:12.6 – a new program record in the 8k.
 
Orion Chavez (24:10.7, 71^st) and Angel Maese (25:59.3, 161^st) rounded out the top three finishers for the Aggies, with senior Derick Castellanos (25:00.6) just behind.
 
Nick Valle tallied a new personal best on the day, crossing the line with a time of 25:04.2. First-year Aggie Ethan Castellanos made a massive leap in his personal best, finishing with a time of 25:34.5. Making his second visit to the Arturo Barrios Invitational, sophomore Kobe Rodriguez improved with a new personal best time of 25:38.3.
 
As a team, the Aggies finished 19^th, ahead of programs such as Baylor, LSU and UTSA.
 
In the women's 6k, Nia Allison claimed the top spot among the Crimson & White, finishing 23^rd overall with a time of 19:57.5, marking a new personal best. Not only was this a personal best for the Katy, Texas, native, she also set a new school record – becoming the first woman in NM State history to break 20 minutes in the 6k.
 
Khloi Bird took second among Aggies with a time of 21:05.5, finishing 103^rd overall, while Marlene Mosqueda posted a new personal best time of 21:14.6 to finish 119^th overall.
 
Jordan Torres (148^th, 21:27.3), Trista Cordova (152^nd, 21:28.7) and Eloïse Stuart (155^th, 21:29.4) finished in close proximity, with Cordova's and Stuart's times representing new personal bests.
 
Brooke Kelly and Abigail Beam tallied new personal bests in Bryan, finishing with times of 22:19.4 and 22:36.7, respectively.
 
The women's team finished the morning at Watts Cross Country Course 18^th overall, ahead of programs such as TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor.
 
  
2026 Arturo Barrios Invitational
Men's Results

18. North Texas – 474
19. NM State – 507
20. Texas State – 564

 
Women's Results

17. Arizona State – 518
18. NM State – 523
19. TCU – 531

 
UP NEXT
With the conclusion of regular-season action for the Aggies, NM State now looks ahead to the 2026 Conference USA Cross Country Championships, held in Huntsville, Ala., at John Hunt Park on Saturday, Oct. 31.
 
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