LAS CRUCES, N.M-- The New Mexico State women’s cross county distance specialists sophomore Brandi Gutierrez and junior Ingrid Flores claimed the fourth and fifth spots, respectively, as the Aggies finished fifth overall against their strongest competition of the season, Saturday morning at the Santa Clara Invitational, in Sunnyvale, Calif.
The men’s squad finished 12th overall and was led by freshman Anthony Ellis. He placed 47th overall with a season-best time of 25:25 in the 8k race.
Assistant coach Paul Harkins said he was very proud of the way the teams competed today.
“The women ran great. I am so happy with the way they continue to get better each race, but I feel we need to close us the gap between our three and four runners. We are definitely going to be a team to compete with come the WAC Championships,” Harkins said. “The men ran strong, but I know there is a lot more in them than what we showed today.”
Gutierrez clocked a time of 17:34, while Flores crossed the line at 17:38 in the 5k race. Coming in third for the Aggies was sophomore Amy Arenas in a time of 17:44 which was good enough for 11th place.
Junior Brittany Hurtado earned fourth place for NMSU and was 51st overall with a time of 18:38 and rounding out the top five was senior Christina Herrera, notching 76th and stopped the clock at 19:06.
On the men’s side, freshman Ian Ruybalid recorded a 58th-place finish in a time of 26:04, while senior James Nduati placed 72nd with a time of 26:11.
Senior Josh Sifuentes was 82nd and cross the line in a time of 26:22 and sophomore Michael Hart was right on his heels in 83-place with at time of 26:25.
The Aggies are back on the course, Saturday, Nov. 1, as NMSU plays host to the 2008 WAC Cross Country Championships in Las Cruces, N.M. The women’s race kicks off at 10:00 a.m., while the men’s races is at 10:30 a.m.
Courtesy: New Mexico State University
