UTEP’s Kibiego Opens Season with a Victory at 37th Lori Fitzgerald Saturday Morning
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Victor Kibiego opened his sophomore campaign with a first-place finish at the 37th Lori Fitzgerald Memorial at NM State Golf Course on Saturday morning.
Kibiego clocked in a personal-best 14:49.04 in the men’s 5K, edging out New Mexico JC’s German Vega (14:51.05), and Tomas Vega (14:54.22).
Titus Cheruiyot placed seventh overall with a 15:06.25, while Kenneth Talavera finished 10th with a 15:14.8.
On the women’s side, Ruth Jerubet finished in fourth place, clocking in a 17:56.61. NM State’s Maggie Gibbs won the women’s 5K with a 17:13.68.
Overall, the UTEP men’s team finished third with 78 points, while the UTEP women’s squad also placed third (70 points). NM State placed first (22 points) on the women’s side, while NMJC and UNM each scored 41 points on the men’s side.
RESULTS
Live Men's Team Results HERE
Live Women's Team Results HERE
Live Individual Results HERE
A BIT OF LORI FITZGERALD HISTORY
Lori Fitzgerald, a native of Denver, Colo., was recruited to UTEP by then-cross country and distance coach Gary Mazziotti in 1985. She was offered a full academic scholarship to attend Brown University at the end of her high school career. Fitzgerald chose to become a student-athlete at The University of Texas at El Paso.
Fitzgerald was with the program for only three weeks in El Paso before a tragic accident. She was hit by a farming truck in the Upper Valley of Sunland Park Drive while warming up for the teams' last time trial run to determine the top seven runners. It happened a week before what would have been her first cross country competition at UTEP.
