Fresno State
Mountain West Championships
'Dogs Compete in Championship at Home
10/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Men's MW Championships Results
Fresno, Calif. - The Fresno State men's and women's cross country teams competed at the Mountain West Championships on Friday and came away with seventh and eighth-place finishes.
The Bulldog men's team scored a total of 181 points, led by sophomore Matt Kwiatkowski who placed 31st in the 8K race (24:41) to give the `Dogs 30 points. New Mexico, ranked 18th in the USTFCCA Coaches Poll, won the ninth-team men's title, while the women ranked 10th in the coaches' poll finished first among the 11 teams in their race.
New Mexico's men accounted for five of the top eight finishers, en route to the sixth straight team title with 26 points. Air Force placed two runners in the top 10 to finish second with 73 points, while Colorado State rounded out the top three with 76 points.
The Fresno State women scored a total of 225 points with their top finisher, junior Annemarie Schwanz, finishing 28th overall (6K 21:34) to earn the Bulldogs 27 points. On the women's side, New Mexico's five scoring runners finished within the top 10 giving New Mexico its seventh-straight title (33 points). Boise State finished second with 58 points, while Wyoming took third with 79 points.
Boise State's Emma Bates commanded the lead from the start of the women's 6K and never looked back, finishing in a time of 19:37, making her the first two-time Mountain West Champion in conference history. Bates was followed by teammate Marisa Howard who finished second with a time of 19:53, while Wyoming's Holly Page finished third in 20:18. New Mexico's Alice Wright and Calli Thackery rounded out the top five, finishing fourth (20:21) and fifth (20:26) respectively.
The `Dogs were laed once again by Schwanz (28th, 21:34). Freshman Mackenzie Landa followed in 33rd place (21:44), next for the `Dogs was junior Julianne Jacques running 22:10 to capture 42nd. Redshirt-senior Carina Mendoza (22:42, 63rd) and Meagan Paracholski (23:40, 80th) rounded out the `Dogs scoring five. Sophomore Brittany Laygo finished the race in 87th for the `Dogs with a time of 24:29.
In the men's race sophomore Matt Kwiatkowski (31st, 24:41) led the `Dogs and was closely followed by sophomore Nathan Esparza (32nd, 24:42) and senior Chriss Grimble (35th, 24:45). The two final scorers for the `Dogs were freshman Efren Reyes (41st, 24:58) and sophomore Uriel Cabanas (53rd, 25:26). Freshmen Joel Gonzalez (57th, 25:32) and Esteban Vega (62nd, 26:33) were followed by sophomore Cooper Gill (64th, 27:10) rounded out the Bulldog finishers.
The `Dogs will be back in action in two weeks at the NCAA West Regional meet. This year regionals will be held at Palo Alto, Calif. hosted by Stanford University on Friday, November 14. The women's 6K race is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. and the men's 10K race will follow at 12 p.m.
FINAL MW CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Men's Team Scores: 1. New Mexico 26, 2. Air Force 73, 3. Colorado State 76, 4. Boise State 79, 5. Utah State 152, 6. Wyoming 160, 7. Fresno State 181, 8. San Jose State 197
Mountain West Men's Student-Athlete of the Year: David Elliott, Boise State
Mountain West Men's Coach of the Year: Joe Franklin, New Mexico
Mountain West Men's Freshman of the Year: Andrew Rafla, Boise State
Women's Team Scores: 1. New Mexico 33, 2. Boise State 58, 3. Wyoming 79, 4.Colorado State 103, 5. Air Force 141, 6. Nevada 163, 7. Utah State 180, 8. Fresno State 225, 9. UNLV 245, 10. San Diego State 276, 11. San Jose State
Mountain West Women's Student-Athlete of the Year: Emma Bates, Jr., Boise State
Mountain West Women's Coach of the Year: Joe Franklin, New Mexico
Mountain West Women's Freshman of the Year: Emma Hyyppa, Boise State
Players Mentioned
