GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Competing in his final career home cross country meet, Colorado Mesa University fifth-year senior Tony Torres finished third overall out of 51 runners to lead the Maverick men in Saturday's Gig Leadbetter Maverick Stampede held at Lincoln Park Golf Course.
 
Torres was one of three Mavericks amongst the top ten finishers, completing the 8-kilometer course in 24 minutes, 8.4 seconds.
 
Western Colorado University's Simon Kelati won the race in 24:04.2 just ahead of his teammate Albert Hesse as the nation's 11^th-ranked Mountaineers won the team scoring chase, a dual, by a 18-43 margin.
 
Torres had also finished third three weeks ago against the Mountaineers in the Mountaineer/Cowboy Invite in Gunnison.
 
Ethan Abbs, who led the Mavs in that meet with a second place finish, took eighth (14:31.2) on Saturday while Triston Charles finished ninth in 24:34.6 as CMU's No. 3 man.  Peter Martin (16^th, 24:52.4) and Kevin Degree (22^nd, 25:16.0) also figured into the Mavs' team score.
 
Chase Brown led a group of Mavericks who competed unattached, taking 23^rd in 25:17.6.
 
The Mavericks will resume their season in two weeks travelling to University Place, Washington for the NCAA Division II Pre-Nationals, which will be held on the same course as the Dec. 3 national championships at Chambers Creek Regional Park.