ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.-The New Mexico State cross country teams concluded the 2009 season at the NCAA Mountain Region Championships, Saturday, Nov. 14, in Albuquerque, N.M.
Both teams raced the longest trails of the season with a 10k for the men and a 6k trail for the women. Ian Ruybalid (Los Lunas, N.M.) and Courtney Schultz (Cloudcroft, N.M.) paced the Aggies in this race coming in 41st and 24th, respectively.
Assistant coach Meaghan Gregory said the coaches are pleased with the performance at the meet.
"We were not perfect, but it was a solid day," Gregory said. "It goes to show when we aren't perfect, we can still compete with the top teams."
The Aggie women finished ninth after being ranked 12th coming into the race. The ninth-place finish is a seven spot improvement from the 2008 regional competition. The team was had a total of 262 points, just one point shy of eighth place.
Schultz was the fourth freshman to finish the race and clocked a time of 21:39.6. Her 24th-place finish earned Schultz all-region accolades and put her in position to qualify for the NCAA National Championships (Nov. 23), in Terre Haute, Ind.
Following Schultz for the Aggies was Camille Schultz (Cloudcroft, N.M.) in 38th. Camille was the eighth freshman to cross the line overall. Senior Ingrid Flores (El Paso, Texas) came in just behind the Schultz sisters with a time of 22:27.1. Flores placed 54th, beating out more than 80 runners.
Also helping the women to the ninth-place finish was Brandi Gutierrez in 72nd, Chelsa McDonnell in 74th, Amy Arenas in 106th and Brittany Hurtado in 108th.
The Aggie men finished the season in 14th overall, against a number of nationally-ranked teams. NM State was paced by Ruybalid in 41st place, more than 20 spots better than in 2008. Ruybalid clocked a time of 31:50.7 in the 10k. Behind Ruybalid was freshman Jonah Ruybalid (Los Lunas, N.M.) in 58th. Jonah was the sixth freshman to cross the line overall.
Freshman Ryan Fenton (Albuquerque, N.M.) was next to cross the line for the Aggies in 84th. Following Fenton was freshmen Kevin Taft (92nd) and Robert Selph (100th). Junior Michael Hart (104th) was sixth Aggie to cross the finish followed by Terry Williams (116th).
As the cross country season concludes, the coaches said they are extremely pleased with the teams overall performance this season.
"We took a lot of steps in the right direction this year, and I think we'll continue to do that," Gregory said.
NM State will shift gears to track and field, starting with the indoor season. The first indoor meet kicks off with the Lobo Opener Jan. 16, in Albuquerque, N.M.
Courtesy: New Mexico State University
