LAS VEGAS, Nev. (March 5, 2021) — The University of Wyoming Cross Country Teams competed in the 2020 Mountain West Championships on Friday morning at Craig Ranch Regional Park in Las Vegas. 

The Cowgirls and Cowboys both notched a sixth-place finish at this year’s Championships. In the first race of the morning the Cowgirls finished with 172 points, tying their mark from the 2019 Championships, and in the men’s 8K race the Pokes racked up a total of 155 points. 

“There was mixture of results for us today,” UW head cross country coach Scott Dahlberg said. “We had some definite bright spots, but also some rough performances. We know we had more there, but it is encouraging knowing we have every athlete coming back next season.”

In the 6K, Katelyn Mitchem was the top finisher for Wyoming with a season-best time of 21:04.9. Mitchem was followed by Kaylee Bentley in 33rd (21:21.9), freshman Abigail Whitman in 44th (21:42.4), Kaleigh Douglas in 47th (21:53.8), and Victoria Tenpenny in 51st (22:00.8).

Albert Steiner was the top finisher for the men in Las Vegas, as the sophomore ran a 24:36.7. Freshman Gus McIntyre placed 27th, and 2nd for the Cowboys, with a time of 24:41.4. McIntyre picked up the fifth best finish of a freshman at this year’s event, while fellow freshman, Mason Norman, placed in 32nd. Norman’s time of 24:52.7 came in as the 6th best finish by a first-year runner. Josh Rodgers in 40th (25:17.3) and Phillip Henry in 41st (25:17.9) round out the Cowboys top five. Star Valley alum, Asefa Wetzel, ran 50th for Wyoming.

“Some of our true freshmen stepped up big and had some of the best races of the day,” Dahlberg said. “Abigail Whitman ran super tough and competed great. Gus McIntyre and Mason Norman ran very well, working their way up during the race, gritting out a good finish.”

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