LAS CRUCES, N.M. – It feels so good to be back. On Saturday, Aug. 30, NM State cross country returns for the 2025 Lori Fitzgerald Memorial Open. Running at the NMSU Golf Course, both Aggie men's and women's teams will compete, along with a host of other programs within the region. Fans can follow along with the meet through
chronotrack.
The Starting Line
- NM State is set to host the 2025 Lori Fitzgerald Memorial Open on Saturday, Aug. 30. The women's 5k will start at 7:30 a.m., with the men's 5k beginning at approximately 8:00 a.m.
- NM State welcomes multiple programs to Las Cruces for the meet, including Big 12 member Texas Tech alongside New Mexico, UTEP, New Mexico Highlands, El Paso Community College, University of the Southwest, New Mexico Junior College, El Paso Community College and Mesa Community College.
- The Aggies will compete in four regular season meets ahead of the 2025 CUSA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1, held in Hunstville, Ala. Following that race, any Aggies who qualify would advance to the NCAA Mountain Regional, hosted by the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on November 14.
- NM State was picked fourth in the CUSA Cross Country Preseason Women's Poll, and fifth in the Men's Poll. Middle Tennessee and Liberty represented the top two teams in each poll, with the Flames earning 13 of a possible 22 first-place votes across both polls.
2024 Year in Review
- Thomas Croshaw opened NM State's 2024 season strong at the Lori Fitzgerald Memorial Open, finishing eighth overall with a new personal best time of 14:42.24. Jordan Torres posted the top time among returners in the women's race, finishing 14th overall with a time of 18:19.56.
- At the 2024 Conference USA Cross Country Championships, the women's squad tallied a fourth-place finish while the men took sixth. Thomas Croshaw and Rachel O'Brien earned Second Team All-CUSA selections, while Khloi Bird notched a Third Team All-CUSA honor.
- Closing the season at the 2024 NCAA Mountain Regional, NM State sent a group of seven student-athletes from both the men's and women's teams. Similarly to the beginning of the season, Thomas Croshaw posted the top finish among Aggie men in the 10k (30:27.3), while Jordan Torres tallied the best placement in the women's 8k (21:41.9).
Fresh Faces
- The Aggies welcome nine new members of the cross country teams, with a wealth of accolades and talent between them.
- NM State landed five transfers in Omer Ibrahim (Tarleton), Quenton Metz (Mesa CC), Adéla Steinsová (Purdue), Eloïse Stuart (Miami [FL]) and Nick Valle (Mesa CC).
- Along with the transfers, the Crimson & White added four freshman in the recruiting class – Abigail Beam, Ainsleigh Kasprick, Brooke Kelly and Kobe Rodriguez.
- Beam (Rio Rancho), Kelly (Albuquerque), and Rodriguez (Las Cruces) join from the Land of Enchantment, while Omer Ibrahim makes a return to the Borderland, competing at nearby Pebble Hills High School from 2020-2024.
CUSA Check-In
- As conference realignment continues to rattle collegiate athletics, Conference USA welcomes a pair of new members ahead of the 2025-26 season, with Delaware ad Missouri State joining the existing ten member programs. Delaware joins from the Coastal Athletic Association, while Missouri State departs from the Missouri Valley Conference.
- In the recently released Conference USA Preseason Poll, Delaware was picked sixth with Missouri State selected eighth overall (neither team has a men's cross country program).
- Last season, Liberty swept both the men's and women's Conference USA Cross Country Championships, claiming their first conference championships as members of CUSA.
One Year Ago… | Lori Fitzgerald Memorial Open | 8.31.24
- Sophomore Thomas Croshaw recorded the top finish for the Crimson & White, crossing the line eighth with a new personal best time of 14:42.24, while Arizona transfer Andrew Gibby posted a time of 14:58.18 to finish 15th overall.
- Junior Jordan Torres crushed her previous best in the event, taking 14th overall with a personal best time of 18:19.56.
- Alongside Torres, four Aggies posted personal bests at the meet including Marlene Mosqueda (16th, 18:27.17), Kayla O'Connell (17th, 18:30.21), Trista Cordova (27th, 18:57.12) and Mari Gallegos (28th, 19:02.61).
Quotables | Head Coach Joseph Rath
- "It's great getting a chance to open up our cross country season at home amongst family, friends and fans! Our golf course is a beautiful place for us to race at, and spectators will have a chance to see the runners multiple times with a looped course… The race provides a great mix of teams that will give us great competition to open the year. We get a chance to work together on race nerves and learn to focus well together.
Senior Angela Korte, on her final home meet as an Aggie
- "I'm very grateful for the amazing girls around me and the path that's led me here!"
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