ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV cross country team was led by freshman Natalia Ruiz at the Mountain West Championships, which were held Friday at the University of New Mexico's North Golf Course.

Ruiz, who finished the 6k race in a time of 21:25.4, said "I am happy with my performance against top schools like Air Force and New Mexico."

Lexy Osterkamp ran an impressive race as well, finishing second on the team. It was her highest finish of the season and other Rebel standouts included Mackenzie Moss and Isabella Schrader.

"I am really proud of these ladies' efforts today," said UNLV head track & field/cross country coach Dorian Scott. "We didn't get to come into this meet at 100% full strength and it affected our placing by a couple spots, but they fought hard against some of the best distance schools in the country. We are looking forward to healing up in the coming weeks and improving at the regional."

The top five Rebel scorers fought for placement the entire race and showed true grit to the finish line.

"I am incredibly proud of the team," said UNLV volunteer cross country coach Zaven O'Bryant. "They have each worked hard and it paid off with better placement in the standings at the conference meet. The elevation of the course (at 5,000 feet) was a major factor in the outcome of the race, yet the ladies persevered and gave their best efforts. This was a great finish to the season and established a high benchmark for future seasons and the upcoming track & field campaign." 

The team placed 10th at the meet, while Ruiz was 49th, Osterkamp finished 77th, Moss was 80th and Schrader was 88th. 

UP NEXT: The NCAA West Regional will be held Nov. 12 in Sacramento, California.