Senior Rachel Williams was 21st at the MWC Championships.

Oct. 31, 2009

Results

OREM, Utah - The San Diego State cross country team improved one place from a year ago to finish eighth at the 2009 Mountain West Conference Championships on the Cascade Golf Course Saturday in Orem, Utah.

Despite running at altitude for the first time this season, the Aztecs finished with 207 points, just 12 behind sixth-place Utah (195) and 11 fewer than seventh-place TCU (196). No. 20 New Mexico easily repeated as conference champs with 24 points, followed by host and 21st-ranked Brigham Young (45), Colorado State (64), Air Force (124), Wyoming (165), the Utes, the Horned Frogs, SDSU and UNLV (210).

Senior Rachel Williams (Mt. Hermon, Calif.) continued her improvement this season with a 21st-place finish of 73 runners with a collegiate-best time of 22 minutes, 39.9 seconds over the 6,000-meter course. At last year's championships, Williams, a 2009 West Regional qualifier in the 5K in outdoor track, was 61st in 24:37 at sea level.

Sophomore Josefine Koskinen (Stockholm, Sweden) was the next San Diego State finisher, clocking 23:59.1 in her first-ever collegiate 6K to take 44th. She was followed by juniors Sara Beyers (Danville, Calif.) and Michelle Martinez (Burbank, Calif.), who each set season bests of 24:11.1 and 24:23.1 to finish 50th and 53rd, respectively. Freshman Jordan Davis (Santa Rosa, Calif.) was a half-second back of Martinez in 54th (24:23.6).

Redshirt sophomore Amy Brown (Sydney, Australia) (65th, 25:12.2), freshman Marianne Hogan (Bedford, Quebec) (68th, 25:26.4), sophomore Melissa Bunn (Simi Valley, Calif.) (71st, 26:49.9) and senior Makenzie Mabry (La Crescenta, Calif.) (73rd, 27:45.0) also competed for the Aztecs.

SDSU returns to competition Nov. 14 at the NCAA West Regional Championships in Springfield, Ore.

2009 Mountain West Conference Championships
Cascade Golf Course - Orem, Utah
Hosted by Brigham Young University

Women's Results
1. No. 20 New Mexico - 24
2. No. 21 Brigham Young - 45
3. Colorado State - 64
4. Air Force - 124
5. Wyoming - 165
6. Utah - 195
7. TCU - 196
8. San Diego State - 207
9. UNLV - 210

Individual Results (6K) - 73 runners
(Top five and SDSU results listed only)
1. Cecily Lemmon (Brigham Young), 20:47.4
2. Ruth Senior (New Mexico), 21:10.7
3. Nicky Archer (New Mexico), 21:14.9
4. Lacey Oeding (New Mexico), 21:17.8
5. Ellie Rastall (Colorado State), 21:18.4
21. Rachel Williams (SDSU), 22:39.9 (CB)
44. Josefine Koskinen (SDSU), 23:59.1 (CD)
50. Sara Beyers (SDSU), 24:11.1 (SB)
53. Michelle Martinez (SDSU), 24:23.1 (SB)
54. Jordan Davis (SDSU), 24:23.6
65. Amy Brown (SDSU), 25:12.2 (CD)
68. Marianne Hogan (SDSU), 25:26.4
71. Melissa Bunn (SDSU), 26:49.9
73. Makenzie Mabry (SDSU), 27:45.0
* CB = Collegiate-Best Time, SB = Season-Best Time, CD = Collegiate Debut at Distance