Ednah Kurgat Leads Lobos To 2017 NCAA XC Title

Charlotte Prouse, New Mexico's third scorer, followed Schweizer in 12th, while Alice Wright was just a second behind in 14th. After a season full of speculation on whom would step up at the NCAA Championships, it was New Mexico's fifth runner, freshman Alondra Negron, who provided an answer as she crossed the line in 85th.

San Francisco's top five, led by a daring effort from low stick Charlotte Taylor, finished 3-5-12-33-52. The Dons' second finisher, junior Weronika Pyzik -- who won Roy Griak -- ran a gusty race to take fifth and sophomore Isabelle Brauer grabbed 15th behind New Mexico's Wright. 

Breaking away almost immediately from the pack, the favorites -- Taylor, Kurgat, Schweizer, Jones, Boise State's Allie Ostrander and Oregon's Katie Rainsberger -- kept pace with early front-running tactics by Charlotte's Caroline Sang to cross the 2K mark in 6:22.

Although Taylor did her best to respond to Kurgat's move at 4K, she couldn't stay stride-for-stride and began to buckle down for second.

In a mad dash to the finish line, Washington's Amy-Eloise Neale shocked a lot of the favorites by taking individual runner-up honors.

Much later in the race, with about 800 meters to go, Neale made her move and outkicked Taylor as she closed on the homestretch. Ostrander concluded her post-injury comeback season with a return to form in fourth place, behind Taylor, who won the West Regional ahead of the Boise State sophomore.