Kelati runs to national crown
Lobo women take 4th at NCAA cross country
TERRE HAUTE, Ind.— New Mexico’s Weini Kelati concluded a dominant cross country season by running to the national title Saturday, finishing nearly 10 seconds ahead of the next fastest runner at the NCAA Division I championships at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
Kelati’s victory sparked the No. 7-ranked Lobos to a fourth-place finish, marking the 10th consecutive year UNM has finished in the top 10.
Kelati, born in Eritrea, cross coun- try runner-up last year and the reigning NCAA outdoors 10,000-meter champ, finished the 6-kilometer race in 19 minutes, 47.5 seconds, comfortably ahead of runner-up Alicia Monson of Wisconsin, and led from the split at 2K to the finish.
At the halfway point, Kelati made her final move, with Monson running closely with her, but this time Kelati was able to create some separation at the 10:44 mark and continued to open a gap.
“I wasn’t planning to get away, but I was trying to find a place that I couldn’t get chipped or blocked out,” said Kelati, who added that she thought upon making her move that “I didn’t know how far I can go like this.”
Lobo teammate Ednah Kurgat (10th, 20:18.4) and Hannah Nuttall (35th, 20:42.9) also earned All-America status. UNM’s other two scorers were Adva Cohen (55th, 20:59.2) and freshman Gracelyn Larkin (122nd, 21:24.6).
In the team score, UNM finished with 168 points. Arkansas had two runners in the top five and won the title with 96 points, six points better than BYU (102). Arkansas captured the calendar title sweep after also winning the NCAA indoor meet and outdoor meet earlier this season.