SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State cross country team will be competing at the Mountain West Championships Friday morning at 10 a.m. PT. The race will take place at the University of New Mexico's North Golf Course, which has an elevation of approximately 5,300 feet.
The Aztecs were recently picked eighth in the Mountain West midseason coaches poll. New Mexico is ranked No. 1 in the nation and Colorado State is No. 12. Utah State (No. 7), Air Force (No. 10) and Wyoming (No. 11) are both ranked in the top 15 in the Mountain region while Boise State is sixth in the West Region.
The Aztecs will have Emily Burd, Amber Elias, Lauren Harper, Jessica Kain, Alex Lomeli, Taylor Lustyan, Nicole Meyer and Naomi Smitham running.
The forecast calls for clear skies and temperatures in the mid 50's and minimal wind.
The UNM North Golf Course starts with a flat 800 meters before it turns down a slight hill, back up a slight elevation and then back down the same hole. From there, the course goes back and forth on three holes of straight level ground before making the loop and starting again.
Coach Lusitana Previews the Meet
"At the beginning of the season, the team established some team goals - some modest goals and some stretch goals related to the conference and regional championships. We have now reached the point in the season where they are in a position to attain some of those goals.
The entire season the team has been focused and motivated and last week they quite possibly, collectively, had their best workout week ever. Therefore, they know they are physically ready. The key now is for them to stay focused and execute their race plan in a very competitive race.
The Mountain West is arguably one of the toughest conferences in the nation when it comes to XC and distance running. Year in and year out the programs all take pride in being nationally recognized. This year the conference is exceptionally strong, so this meet presents a great challenge for the team, but they are fired up and are looking forward to it."
Aztec Storylines
• The Aztecs took fifth (out of 25) at the UC Riverside's Highlander Invitational Oct. 1). Running in a big field, eight of the 20 schools they beat were DI programs and SDSU placed five runners in the top 50.This was the second fastest team time on a 6k course in program history.
• The 24.8 second spread among SDSU's top five runners was their smallest of the year by a large margin. Their previous best in a 6k was 51.6 at the Dave Murray Invitational.
• Emily Burd was second among Aztec runners for the second consecutive race and for the third time this season.Taylor Lustyan, a Chico State transfer, finished third among Aztec runners, her first time being in the SDSU top five.
• Alex Lomeli paced the Aztecs at both the USD Invitational (Sept. 17) and Cougar Challenge (Sept. 24).
• Jessica Kain has been the top Aztec finisher in the last five of the last six races she's run in.
• Kain, Masar, Emily Burd, Lauren Harper, Amber Elias and Naomi Smitham all recorded career-best 6k times at the Stump Invitational on Sept. 10.
Aztecs Competing at MW Championships Friday
