LEADVILLE, CO - The Trinidad State Men's Cross Country team defended their Region IX Championship in dominant fashion on Saturday while Loryn Trujillo took home the women's Individual Title while leading the Trojan women to 2nd place by one point.

Colorado Mountain College hosted the annual event on snow covered trails in sky high Leadville, Colorado. With temperatures dancing around the low 30s the Trojan women pounded down the first hill and onto the 2-lap course. Larrissa McElroy of Central Wyoming College got an early lead of 40 yards halfway through the first lap. Trinidad State's Loryn Trujillo was in second, but quickly made up the gap while climbing the first 700 meter stretch of steep, snowy trails. Trujillo never relinquished the lead and eventually opened a gap of 29 seconds by the finish. Central Wyoming had the next three runners across the line. This gave CWC a lead in the team race that the Trojans were unable to make up despite strong efforts from the next four scoring athletes. Vanessa Dominguez finished in 6th place with Maria Saenz and Kianna Quintana hot on her heals in 7th and 8th respectively. Carli Valdez rounded out the Trojans scoring five runners just ahead of CWC's 5th runner, but the early damage had been done and Central Wyoming took the team title in a 27-28 final score.

"The ladies did nearly everything we needed them to do to win the team Championship, but unfortunately we came up just a little short," said Interim Head Coach Kyle Masterson. "Loryn has done a great job leading our team all season. We are very happy to have her win the Individual Title and keep that accolade at Trinidad State." Trujillo's victory marks the 5th consecutive Indvidiaul Region IX Women's Champion for Trinidad State.

As close as the women's race was the men's race couldn't have been more different. The Trojans set off to take their 5th consecutive Region IX Championship and did so in dominant fashion. Biding their time early, the Trojans led the race but only by a narrow margin during the first lap of the 4-lap race up and down the mountainside in Leadville. By the second lap Hanibal Haile broke the race open and pushed the pace from the front. The next 8 places were held by Trinidad State runners; and that would remain for the entirety of the 8-kilometer race. The Trojans won all five possible All-Region Awards, took the top 9 places, perfect scored the event, and had the invididual Champion in Hanibal Haile. Daniel Recio, Vincent Kipchirchir, Reagan Longei, and Kameron Eustace completed the five men on the All-Region team. 

Coach Masterson praised the performance, "Those guys came to battle today. The course was definitely not what people would expect them to do well on, and I think they took that personally. They were a determined navy train going up the hill those last two times."

Both cross country squads head into the National Championships next in Tallahassee, Florida on November 12th.