COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Mateo Herrera paced the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's cross country team in its final meet of the regular season Saturday morning at the UCCS XC Open. Competing at Monument Valley Park, the Mountain Lions raced in a 10-team, 8K field.
 
INSIDE THE UCCS XC OPEN

• Course | Location: Monument Valley Park | Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Course Length: 8K
• Elevation: 6,109 feet

 
AROUND THE COURSE

• Herrera led 21 Mountain Lions across the finish line, recording a personal-best 8K time of 25:53.4 to place 30th overall.
• TJ Saglembeni followed Herrera as UCCS' second finisher, crossing the line in 26:29.4 for 48th overall.
• Elijah Dafoe and Joey Hatton finished back-to-back, placing 52nd and 55th overall, respectively. Dafoe clocked a 26:34.6, while Hatton finished in 26:37.3.
• Austin Wick rounded out UCCS' top five with a time of 26:53.8, finishing 64th overall.

 
RACE LEADERS
Colorado State University Pueblo's Jon Sweepe topped the field of 124 runners, winning the race with a time of 24:52.3.
 
BEYOND THE FINISH LINE

• Eight Mountain Lions made their UCCS debuts Saturday: Aedan Clarke (28:53.1), Tyler Larson (28:44.3), Aidan Malherbe (27:48.1), Jackson Marshall (29:00.3), Matt Snyder (27:59.5), Kaito Tamura (27:59.7), Wick (26:53.8) and Noah Zach (27:35.8).
• In addition to Herrera, Kyle Briggs (26:58.3), Anthony Economou (28:37.3), Grant Hoehne (26:57.7) and Saglembeni (26:29.4) each recorded a new 8K personal best.

 
UP NEXT

• UCCS returns to action in two weeks at the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Rapid City, S.D.

 
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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.