Kenyawani Named Newcomer of the Year, Hounds Finish Third at LSC Championships

SILVER CITY, N.M. – Junior Aminata Kenyawani was named the Lone Star Conference Newcomer of the Year after leading the Eastern New Mexico women’s team to a third place finish at the 2019 Lone Star Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday morning.

Kenyawani posted a sixth place individual finish with a time of 23:01.54 and led the Greyhounds to 90 points to finish behind Lubbock Christian and West Texas A&M in Silver City, N.M. The men’s team finished in 13th place with 358 total points and were paced by junior Jessie Madrid in 32nd place individually with a time of 27:02.70.

The Eastern New Mexico women’s team used Kenyawani’s sixth place finish and a ninth place finish from last year’s Newcomer of the Year Evaline Cheptoo to record the program’s second-straight third place finish at the LSC Championships. Cheptoo finished with a time of 23:24.58 in the 6K race, nearly six seconds better than her 2018 time that resulted in a sixth place finish. Junior Neri Getraide produced her best race of the season with a 17th place finish and a time of 23:49.54 to provide valued support for Kenyawani and Cheptoo.

Veterans Kayla Sisneros and Mason Swanson finished in 30th and 32nd place respectively with times of 24:22.07 and 24:28.80 to provide the final two scoring finishes for the Greyhounds. Eastern New Mexico finished just five points behind West Texas A&M while Lubbock Christian took home the team title with 66 points including a first-place finish from senior Amira Cunningham.

West Texas A&M had all five scored finishes in the top-15 of the men’s race to capture the men’s title with just 39 points. Eastern New Mexico finished ahead of Angelo State, UAFS and Texas A&M-Kingsville in a talent-rich race.

Freshman Alejandro Chavez, junior Ivar Moinat and freshman Jon Fuentes all finished in a pack in 75th, 76th and 82nd place in a race that featured 129 competitors. Chavez finished with a time of 28:27.40 while Moinat finished one spot behind with a time of 28:27.80.

Sophomore Shane Rinde rounded out the top five finishers for the Hounds with a time of 30:17.80 and a 102nd place finish.

Eastern New Mexico will now move on to the NCAA Division II South Central Regions Championships on Nov. 9th in Canyon, Texas.