The University of New Mexico women's cross country team had high expectations, a No. 1 ranking and an NCAA National Championship to defend on Saturday morning in Madison, Wisconsin.
But UNM came up a little bit short in its bid to repeat as national champions — earning a second-place finish on Saturday. It was the ninth consecutive season the women have recorded a top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships.
New Mexico probably couldn't have put itself in a better situation. The squad had seen Zimmer Championship Course twice already this season, taking third place at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in September and winning the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals last month.