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Nikanorov Leads All Runners as No. 7 Mountain Lions Win UCCS Rust Buster

9/6/2025 1:06:00 PM

By: David Koehler, Sports Information Graduate Assistant
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's cross country team, ranked No. 7 in the USTFCCCA Preseason Poll, finished with 22 team points to win the 18th annual UCCS Rust Buster meet, held at Monument Valley Park in Colorado Springs, Colo.
 
INSIDE THE UCCS RUST BUSTER
  • Course | Location: Monument Valley Park | Colorado Springs, Colo.
  • Course Length: 5k
  • Elevation: 6,109'
 
AROUND THE COURSE
  • The Mountain Lions' Kseniya Nikanorov led all runners with a time of 17:27.9. Three other Mountain Lions placed in the top 10, as Emma Montoya (17:38.5) finished third, Madison Brosig (17:49.2) in fifth, and Molly Breuer (17:57.5) came in eighth.
  • Maddie Ruszkiewicz was the fifth UCCS runner to tally points for the team, as she crossed the finish line with a time of 18:09.2 to end one place short of the top 10.
  • Placing second overall as a team was Colorado College (66 points), followed by Colorado Christian University (76 points), MSU Denver (84 points), Regis University (144 points), and Western New Mexico University (162 points).
                       
RACE LEADERS
  • Three of the top five-point scorers hailed from UCCS, being Nikanorov (one point), Montoya (three points), and Brosig (four points). The other two were Colorado College's Alison Mueller-Hickler, who placed second overall with a time of 17:34.7, and MSU Denver's Constance O'Neal with a time of 17:50.8.
 
BEYOND THE FINISH LINE
  • Eight Mountain Lions recorded career best 5k times today: Audrey Brunken (18:34.4), Megan Ericksen (18:37.7), Nikanorov (17:27.9), Montoya (17:38.5), Brosig (17:49.2), Ruszkiewicz (18:09.2), Madison Chavez (18:23.4), and Olivia Sargent (18:58.0).
  • Ruszkiewicz shattered her previous best 5k time by 43 seconds, which also came at the UCCS Rust Buster in 2024.
  • Four Mountain Lions made their debut donning the black and gold for UCCS: Sydney Fauske (18:43.0), Kaley Fergus (18:15.4), Lara Murdock (18:46.6), and Cate Urbani (19:14.1).
 
UP NEXT
  • The Mountain Lions will head to Denver for the MSU Denver Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 20.  The women's 6k race will begin at 9:15 a.m.
 
SOCIAL
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For everything UCCS Athletics, follow the Mountain Lions on social media and stay tuned to gomountainlions.com.
 
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
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