LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV cross country team will face off in the Mountain West Championships on Friday, October 29 at 11 a.m. in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The race will take place at the University of New Mexico's North Golf Course and consists of a two-part 6K loop.
The Rebels are going into the race confident and fresh. Junior
Rebecca Green said "I feel super good!" in her last workout leading up to the race. Junior
Isabella Schrader said "I've been loving the training and responding well. I'm excited to show off for Conference!"
Junior LaKyla Yazzie, whio is from nearby Farmington, New Mexico, has consistently raced well and is in top form as the usual second finisher on the team. Others have displayed consistent athleticism and increased performance quantified by numerous personal best finishes and fast en route splits.
The team is led by freshman Natalia Ruiz Lara, who has had an outstanding year and looks to top the podium again. She has won three races and finished fourth so far this season, and is a strong NCAA Nationals contender. The team has already made UNLV history this season starting with an all-time high fourth-place finish at the UCR Highlander Invitational. It continued its success in San Diego, placing first.
The following meet in Provo, Utah, provided strong competition, yet the ladies prevailed with another fourth-place finish. Traveling back to UCR for the Riverside Invitational. the Rebels placed 15th in a field that included top national teams running their full-strength lineups, which was also the team's first 6k of the season. Last week at Cal State Fullerton, team depth again shone through with another fourth-place finish in the 5K race.
The Rebels are clearly building to a climactic end to the regular season and are set on postseason success beginning with the MW Championships, NCAA Regionals, then hopefully their first-ever Nationals.
The UNLV cross country team has been dominant in the classroom as well, supplying a strong team GPA. This season, the Rebel XC women have established themselves among the highest echelons of distance running competition in only a few short months and will continue their tour de force into the winter for indoor track & field and spring for outdoor track & field.
