UNK Cross Country: Lopers 6th & 7th at RMAC's; Two Earn All-RMAC Honors

Kearney, Neb. - The Nebraska-Kearney cross country teams finished sixth (men) and seventh (women) at the 2010 RMAC Cross Country Championships Saturday at the Gene Torres Golf Course in Las Vegas, N.M.

The 18th-ranked Loper men, running an 8k, tallied 167 points in a 10-team race. Top-ranked Adams State won (30) a sixth straight title with 2nd-ranked Western State runner up (47) and 3rd-ranked Colorado Mines coming in third (75).

Finishing just ahead of UNK was No. 16 Metro State (140) and the host New Mexico Highlands Cowboys (154), who is ranked 8th in the Central Region.

This marks the third straight year the Lopers have placed in the top seven, the first time that has happened since 1999-01.

The women's race, covering 6k and featuring 13 teams, saw UNK tally 171 points, just a point shy of sixth place Metro but five points ahead of Colorado-Colorado Springs.

In 2009, the Lopers finished 10th with 250 points.

Sixth-ranked Western tallied 31 points to beat top-ranked Adams (42) for the title. The Grizzlies, which had won eight straight RMAC titles, competed without Preseason Runner of the Year Alicia Nelson due to injury.

Individually, juniors Amy Long (Minatare) and Al Sanabria (Minden) earned 3rd-team All-RMAC honors by placing in the top 20.  Long led the UNK women in a time of 22:30, good for 15th place, while Sanabria came in 17th (24:44)

Alexis Skarda of Mesa was the women's winner (20:22) while Ryan McNiff of Adams led the men (23:50). Subsequently, each was named Runners of the Year.

Also for UNK, Ogallala senior Tanner Fruit came in 24th (25:06) with three Loper women -- Brooke Harris, Jordan Bloesser and Lauren Stengel - finishing between 33-40th places.

The RMAC and the NSIC will meet at Wayne State Nov. 20th for the Central Regional meet.