Los Alamos girls win 4A state cross country team title as McNiff takes individual crown

ALBUQUERQUE - Los Alamos High School's girls won the Class 4A state cross country team title Saturday, Nov. 7, at Albuquerque Academy with a perfect score of 15, according to the official NMAA girls team results. Sophomore Elisabeth McNiff won the individual race in 17:55.39, according to the official ChronoTrack results.

Senior Ensley Jorgenson was second in 18:23.80, and Los Alamos runners took six of the first seven places. Moriarty's Carmen Dorsey-Spitz, in third at 18:38.86, was the only runner from another school to break up the Hilltopper group.

Behind McNiff and Jorgenson came sophomore Caterina Mereghetti in fourth (19:22.88), junior Emmeline Keller-Moore in fifth (19:30.90), senior Amelia Hill in sixth (19:34.36) and senior Grace Montoya in seventh (19:36.30). Senior Elizabeth Buck finished 16th in 20:07.97. McNiff, Jorgenson, Mereghetti, Keller-Moore and Hill were the five scorers on the perfect team score.

In the 4A boys race, won by Taos senior Billy Romero in 15:07.45, Los Alamos finished second as a team with 69 points behind St. Pius X's 58, the official NMAA boys team results show. Senior Kaj Maupin led Los Alamos in eighth place in 16:01.06 on the ChronoTrack boys results. Senior Emmitt Tibbitts was 10th (16:06.24), sophomore Oliver Mosby 16th (16:32.76), senior William Hudlemeyer 19th (16:37.98) and junior Koen Christensen 21st (16:45.85). Sophomore William Anderson was 30th (17:17.87) and junior Tyven Beaux 32nd (17:21.51).