COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The Western New Mexico women's cross country team opened their season at the 18th Annual UCCS Rust Buster on Saturday in Colorado Springs, racing against some of the top programs in the region.
The Mustangs placed sixth as a team, led by freshman Sarah Romero (), who crossed the finish line in 54th place with a time of 19:42.9. She was closely followed by senior Vanessa Dominguez (Pecos, NM/Pecos High School) (58th, 20:00.1) and junior McKenna Sahd (Angel Fire, NM/Cimarron High School) (59th, 20:02.6), Jeanette Rivera (67th, 20:41.6) and senior Aubrey Lozoya (Albuquerque, NM/Cottonwood Classic Preparatory) (68th, 21:21.6) rounded out the Mustang scoring five
At the front of the race, UC-Colorado Springs dominated, sweeping the team title with just 22 points. They were led by individual champion Kseniya Nikanorov (17:27.9), who held off Colorodo College's Alison Mueller-Hickler (2nd, 17:34.7) and teammate Emma Montoya (3rd, 17:38.5). Colorado College finished second in the team standings with 66 points, followed by Colorado Christian in third with 76.
Facing nationally competitive squads, WNMU used the meet as a valuable early-season benchmark. The Mustangs will head to Lubbock, TX, on September 12th, 2025, racing in the Texas Tech Open.
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Western New Mexico University is a member of the NCAA Division II, and the Lone Star Conference (LSC). For additional information regarding Mustang Athletics, visit www.wnmumustangs.com; visit wnmu.edu for more information about Western New Mexico University. Follow the Mustangs on social media: @WNMUathletics (X, TikTok & Instagram).
