ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Nevada's Emily Clarke (34^th, 20:54.9) and Adam Sjolund (41^st, 28:59.9) collected top 50 finishes in the NCAA Mountain Regional Championships at the UNM North Golf Course on Friday to conclude the 2022 season.
 
The 2022 Mountain Regional Championships featured five top 10 nationally ranked women's teams and six of the top 10 men's teams in the country. Nevada men's cross country finished 12^th as a team, tying their finish at the NCAA Regionals last year. The Pack's women's cross country team finished 14^th, ahead of five teams that include Power 5 foe Texas Tech.
 
The New Mexico women claimed their seventh regional title Friday morning, just two weeks after capturing their 15^th straight Mountain West title, already having secured their birth into the NCAA Championships. For the men, a No. 2 nationally ranked Northern Arizona team took the crown after their top runners finished in the top two in the 10K, earning an automatic place at the NCAA National Championships on November 19.
 
Noted as one of the top cross country environments in the nation, Nevada competed at the spectator-friendly UNM North Golf course for the Mountain Regional for the first time since 2015. Located 5,085 feet above sea level, Nevada got a boost from the course's gentle, grassy, slopes and through the cheering crowd several times.
 
Clarke placed 34^th, in a time of 20:54.9, only two tenths off her performance two weeks ago at the Mountain West Championships in Laramie, and the third fastest time for her this season. Sjolund jumped up significantly throughout the duration of the race, crossing the finish line in 41^st with a time of 28:59.9. Sjolund earned the highest finish Nevada men have ever placed at the regional meet, and the top time, dropping 265 seconds from his performance in 2021 (32:02.6).
 
On the women's side, juniors Marije Hijman and Paige Penrose saw the second and third highest finishes in 63^rd and 98^th, in 21:33.0 and 22:25.5. Jasper Fievet would then finish next, not far behind Penrose, placing 100^th, in a new personal best time by 35 seconds, in 22:34.8. Rounding out the women, Claire Nelson finished in 113^th, with a time of 23:20.9, while Alison Graf finished in ten spots behind Nelson, in 123^rd place, with a time of 24:12.5.
 
The men's squad continued to see major time drops throughout the event. With his 67^th place finish, Carson Leavitt would earn the next highest finish for the men in 29:54.8, seeing a substantial drop from last season, by over 200 seconds. Coming in right after Leavitt was Daniel Sayo in 68^th, with a time of 30:01.5, a 111 second drop from the 2021 season. Zander Simone would finish next in 77^th place, in a 30:17.5.
 
The final three men's times include Celime Garcia in 91^st (30:48.6), Andrew Riberio in 94^th (30:58.1), and Soma Baligad in 99^th (31:12.6), Baligad competing in the first 10K of his collegiate career. Garcia would earn a new personal best by a whopping 317 seconds, while Riberio dropped 50 seconds from his previous record.
 
FOLLOW THE PACK
Follow Nevada Cross Country on social media at @WolfPackTrack (Twitter), @wolfpacktrack (Instagram), and on Facebook at @NevadaTrackFieldXC
 
NCAA Mountain Region Cross Country Championships
 
WOMEN'S RESULTS
Team

1. New Mexico, 56
2. Utah, 103
3. NAU, 103
4. Colorado State, 121
5. Colorado, 135
6. BYU, 144
7. Utah Valley, 164
8. Utah State, 167
9. Air Force, 201
10. Wyoming, 204
11. Weber State, 363
12. Montana State, 367
13. Southern Utah, 378
14. Nevada, 403
15. New Mexico State, 409
16. Northern Colorado, 513
17. Idaho State, 514
18. Texas Tech, 544
19. Montana, 553

 
Individual
34. Emily Clarke, 20:54.9
63. Marije Hijman, 21:33.0
98. Paige Penrose, 22:25.5
100. Jasper Fievet, 22:34.8
109. Marena Middleton, 23:09.9
113. Claire Nelson, 23:20.9
123. Alison Graf, 24:12.5
 
MEN'S RESULTS
Team

1. NAU, 43
2. BYU, 54
3. Colorado, 97
4. Air Force, 104
5. Montana State, 123
6. Colorado State, 132
7. Utah State, 198
8. Wyoming, 226
9. New Mexico, 227
10. Utah Valley, 269
11. Southern Utah, 337
12. Nevada, 341
13. UTEP, 352
14. Weber State, 357
15. Texas Tech, 437
16. Montana, 451
17. Idaho State, 523

 
Individual
41. Adam Sjolund, 28:59.9
67. Carson Leavitt, 29:54.8
68. Daniel Sayo, 30:01.5
77. Zander Simone, 30:17.5
91. Celime Garcia, 30:48.6
94. Andrew Riberio, 30:58.1
99. Soma Baligad, 31:12.6