LOGAN, Utah – Utah State's men's cross country team finished fourth at the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Mountain Regional on Friday, while the women's team finished ninth. Graduate Camren Todd, who finished in 14th place in the men's 10K race, and senior Emma Thornley, who paced the Aggie women with a 22nd-place finish, earned all-Mountain Region honors.

"I'm very proud of both teams," said Artie Gulden, USU's director of track & field and cross country. "They all ran super tough."

The Aggie men took fourth in the 10K team competition with 137 points, defeating nationally ranked Colorado State (No. 23) and Wyoming (No. 26). Todd's time of 29:39.3 led the way for USU, followed by graduate Spencer Nelson's 29th-place time of 29.56.6. Freshman Joshua McKee was Utah State's third scorer, finishing in 34th place with a time of 29:59.8. Junior LJ Floyd finished in 36th place with a time of 30:02.2, and junior Logan Garnica rounded out the Aggie scoring with a 39th-place finish, clocking in at 30:05.3.  

No. 1 BYU claimed the Mountain Region title with a team score of 52 points, and No. 6 New Mexico claimed the region's second automatic bid with 61 points. Texas Tech's Solomon Kipchoge topped the field with a time of 28:55.9.

"It will become official tomorrow, but the men will be racing at the NCAA Championships next week," said Gulden.

The USU women led off the afternoon with a ninth-place team performance in the 6K, tallying 267 points. Thornley's time of 20:17.0 led the Aggies, and she was followed by sophomore Shelby Jensen, finishing in 54th place with a time of 21:04.9, and sophomore Brianne Smith, who clocked in at 21:10.2 to place 57th. Junior Sarah Ellis was the fourth scorer for USU, placing 66th with a time of 21:20.9, and senior Mimi Miyazawa rounded out the scoring with a 68th-place time of 21:21.6.
 
No. 1 BYU claimed the Mountain Region title with a team score of 52 points, while No. 4 Northern Arizona claimed the region's second automatic bid with 65 points. New Mexico's Pamela Kosgei topped the field with a time of 19:30.9.

 "I'm very proud of the women," said Gulden. "Emma being all-region two years in a row is great. They had a really good season and we will look to build from here."

Utah State's postseason fate will be announced Saturday during the NCAA Division I Cross Country Selection Show, streaming on NCAA.com starting at 3 p.m. (MT).

For more information on the Utah State cross country programs, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUTF_XC, on Facebook at USUTrack and on Instagram at USUTF_XC. 
 
2024 NCAA CROSS COUNTRY MOUNTAIN REGIONAL | November 15, 2024 | Reno, Nevada
Women's 6K Team Results
1. No. 1 BYU – 5, 8, 9, 10, 20, (30), (38) – 52
2. No. 4 Northern Arizona – 4, 6, 15, 17, 23, (26), (11) – 65
3. No. 10 New Mexico – 1, 7, 29, 35, 39, (41) – 111
4. No. 9 Utah – 12, 13, 21, 27, 49, (51), (71) – 122
5. No. 30 Utah Valley – 24, 28, 32, 33, 44, (45), (63) – 161
9. UTAH STATE – 22, 54, 57, 66, 68, (69), (80) – 267
 
Women's Top-Five Finishers: 1. Pamela Kosgei (New Mexico) – 19:30.9; 2. Juliet Cherubet (Texas Tech) – 19:44.6; 3. Regina Mpigachai (Northern Colorado) – 19:54.4; 4. Elise Stearns (Northern Arizona) – 19:55.4; 5. Riley Chamberlain (BYU) – 19:56.4.
 
Utah State Women's Results: 22. Emma Thornley – 20:17.0; 54. Shelby Jensen – 21:04.9; 57. Brianne Smith – 21:10.2; 66. Sarah Ellis – 21:20.9; 68. Mimi Miyazawa – 21:21.6; 69. Ana Weaver – 21:25.1; 80. Hannah Davidson – 21:39.2.
 
Men's 10K Team Results
1. No. 1 BYU – 4, 6, 8, 9, 25, (40), (61) – 52
2. No. 6 New Mexico – 2, 7, 10, 16, 26, (35), (71) – 61
3. No. 8 Northern Arizona – 5, 11, 12, 13, 30, (41), (78) – 71
4. UTAH STATE – 14, 29, 34, 36, 39, (49), (62) – 152
5. Colorado – 17, 27, 33, 38, 42, (44), (72) – 157
 
Men's Top-Five Finishers: 1. Solomon Kipchoge (Texas Tech) – 28:55.9; 2. Habtom Samuel (New Mexico) – 28:59.2; 3. Ernest Cheruiyot (Texas Tech) – 29:17.6; 4. Casey Clinger (BYU) – 29:24.9; 5. David Mullarkey (Northern Arizona) – 29:26.0.
 
Utah State Men's Results: 14. Camren Todd – 29:39.3; 29. Spencer Nelson – 29:56.6; 34. Joshua McKee – 29:29.8; 36. LJ Floyd – 30:02.2; 39. Logan Garnica – 30:05.3; 49. Jedidiah Megargel – 30:24.6; 62. Joseph McKee – 30:44.3.
 
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