GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Colorado Mesa University redshirt junior Tony Torres finished first amongst team scorers and second overall to lead the Maverick men's cross country squad to their first team win since 2015 on Saturday morning here at Lincoln Park Golf Course.
 
The Maverick men, which also received strong sixth and seventh place finishes from Jerod Kuhn and Triston Charles, respectively, edged rival Western Colorado University, ranked 16th nationally, 27-29 during the 8.8-kilometer Gig Leadbetter Maverick Stampede, named after the former long-time Maverick coach, who started the races and announced the post-meet results.  Westminster finished third with 85 points.
 
CMU's women took second as a team in the later 5-kilometer event.
 
Torres turned in a time of 28 minutes, 19.38 seconds crossing the finish line only after unattached Jacob Hernandez, who took the race in 28:14.05.
 
Western then had the next three finishers before Kuhn (28:51.65) and Charles (28:53.62).   Three unattached runners then rounded out the top 10 before senior Trevor Smith and redshirt freshman Ethan Abbs completed the Mavs' team score with 11th and 12th place finishes.
 
Charles' effort was his second consecutive top-10 finish in an 8-day stretch and was the best finish of his collegiate career after taking tenth at last week's Mountaineer/Cowboy Invitational in Gunnison.
 
Smith, who was clocked in 29:18.05, also had the best individual finish of his career.  The same can be said for Abbs, who finished in 29:22.82.
 
Nathan Sanches also contributed significantly to the Mavericks' team win, finishing 15th overall and tenth amongst team scorers in 29:47.48.  He was one spot ahead and displaced WCU's No. 5 runner Patrick Jirele, who finished in 30:01.16.
 
CMU's Mark Testa (17th, 30:03.76) and Peter Martin (18th, 30:09.15) also finished in the top-20 as did CMU freshman Kevin Degree, who finished 19th in 30:14.22 as an unattached runner.
 
CMU's last men's win also came at home when the Mavericks won a Oct. 10, 2015 Maverick Open battle against Westminster at Matchett Park.