Courtesy of Nevada Athletics

RENO, Nev. - Conditions were perfect Friday morning for the Credit Union 1 Mountain West Cross Country Championships presented by Palms at Washoe Golf Course in Reno, Nevada. For the third season in a row, New Mexico men and women swept the Mountain West titles, with Pamela Kosgei running a Mountain West record time, the first under 19 minutes. Evans Kiplagat captured the title in the men’s 8K. 
 
On the men’s side, New Mexico took out places one through seven, highlighted by Kiplagat, winning his first individual men’s title, helping the Lobos to their fourth straight team title and tenth time overall. All seven Lobos men ran sub-24 minute times, with Kiplagat (22:54.2) followed by freshman Pasanjo Kitonga (22:56.1) in second, both running sub-23 minute times. 
 
Collins Kiprotich (23:00.2) took third, followed by teammates Vincent Chirchir (23:09.3) in fourth and Joshua Abraham (23:32.9) rounding out the top five. 
 
The New Mexico women took all three podium places, securing five of the top seven finishers to earn their third consecutive title and their 18th in the last 19 years. Kosgei spearheaded the Lobos team, becoming the first runner in Mountain West history to run a sub-19 minute time, winning the individual title with a time of 18:49.4. The junior made it a three-peat in taking home the title, finishing thirty seconds ahead of teammate Mercy Kirarei (19:19.3) to become the first Mountain West woman to win three consecutive titles.
 
Lobos senior Christina Nisoli (19:58.6) took third place, followed by Air Force’s Ella Johnson in a time of 20:13.9. Rounding out the top five was Wyoming’s Eowyn Dalbec in a time of 20:16.7. New Mexico’s Faith Ngetich was the field’s top women’s freshman finisher.