RAPID CITY, S.D. – All five UCCS scorers earned All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) First Team honors as the No. 7 University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's cross country team placed third at the 2026 RMAC Championships on Saturday morning at Hart Ranch in Rapid City, S.D. The Mountain Lions scored 64 points in the 15-team field.
INSIDE THE RMAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Course: Hart Ranch | Rapid City, S.D.
- Distance: 6k
- Elevation: 3,200 feet
AROUND THE COURSE
- Kseniya Nikanorov led UCCS with a fifth-place finish in 21:08.3, followed by Elizabeth McQuitty in eighth place in 21:18.6.
- Kylah Ricks finished 13th in 21:30.1, with Emma Montoya close behind in 14th place in 21:36.4.
- Lida Padgett rounded out the Mountain Lions' scoring five, placing 24th in 21:58.7. All five UCCS scorers earned All-RMAC First Team honors.
RACE LEADERS
- Emily LaMena of Colorado School of Mines won the individual title in a course-record time of 20:38.2.
- Western Colorado won the team championship with 40 points, followed by Adams State (55), UCCS (64) and Colorado School of Mines (69).
BEYOND THE FINISH LINE
- Three Mountain Lions recorded career-best 6K times: Montoya (21:36.4), Padgett (21:58.7) and Ella Hopkins (52nd, 23:01.2).
- UCCS earned All-RMAC First Team honors for all five scoring runners for the second time in program history and the second consecutive year.
- The Mountain Lions have now finished in the top five at the RMAC Championships for 15 consecutive years. Saturday's third-place finish also marked the fifth time in the past six seasons UCCS has placed among the top three teams.
UP NEXT
- UCCS will compete at the 2026 NCAA South Central Regional Championships on Saturday, Nov. 21, at Lubbock Christian University in Lubbock, Texas.
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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.
