FORT WORTH, Texas – UT Arlington cross country's season opener is in the books and the Mavericks turned in a strong showing at their own Gerald Richey UTA Invitational. UTA athletes earned five total top three finishes across the men's and women's 5k, and easily took home the men's team title while finishing second in the women's standings.

On the men's side, the Mavericks swept the podium, with Mateo Doherty, Angel Sanchez and Toby Eaton all claiming the top three spots. Doherty and Sanchez each finished with a time of 14 minutes, 37.9 seconds but it was Doherty who came out just barely ahead to take home his first victory as a Maverick. The sophomore finished in the top five of the 2025 Gerald Richey 5k as well.

Sanchez's second-place finish is his best in cross country career as a Maverick. Eaton finished just behind Doherty and Sanchez with a mark of 14:40.7. His third-place finish is the best of his cross country career at UTA. All three set new personal bests in the 5k at the event.

The Mavericks remaining three runners in the men's race all finished in the top 15. Kebede Kerlin set a new personal best time after running a 15:15.1 and finishing 11th. 

Jameson Stewart beat his personal best in the 5k by eight seconds after running a 15:23.1 that placed him 14th. Lucas Whitt — a freshman running in his first collegiate event — finished in 15th with a time of 15:29.3.

All told, the Mavericks performance allowed them to easily secure their second men's title at the Gerald Richey in a row.

"The guys ran really well," Head cross country coach John Sauerhage said, "Our top three were cruising. That's where you want to be at this time of year, and when we go up to 8k in October, I think they'll be ready for the challenge."

The women's lineup turned in a strong showing as well. Dorcas Jepkosgei picked up right where she led off after her historic freshman season, finishing nearly a full minute before anyone else in the women's 5k with a time of 16:21.

Jepkosgei's time beats her previous personal best in the 5k by over 20 seconds — which she set at last season's Gerald Richey — and helped her earn the second cross country victory of her career. The sophomore has finished second or first in five cross country events.

"Dorcas looks just as fit as she was at this time last year," Sauerhage said. "[We need] to get her ready for some big races in October and November. Her goals are to make it to the NCAA Championships and have the highest finish possible in the UAC Championship."

Elsewhere for the Mavericks, Connie Chiptoo Ndiema made her cross country debut for UTA and made a good first impression. The sophomore finished as the runner-up in the 5k, similarly breaking away from the pack herself with a time of 17:17.3, a full 13 seconds ahead of third place.

"To have her back today was really nice, and I know it meant a lot to her and meant a lot to our team," Sauerhage said. "Just really happy to have her. She's still going to get in better shape as the season goes. I'm looking for big things from her."

Lauren Baur finished a cross country career-best eighth overall and was the third UTA athlete to cross the finish line. She posted a personal-best time of 18:06.9.

Abigail Perez also placed in the top-10. The junior clocked a personal-best mark of 18:11.2, more than a minute better than the time she ended the 2025 Gerald Richey with.

Sophia Hamdani and Justina Lusby finished back-to-back in 16th and 17th respectively. Hamdani recorded a time of 18:28.9 in what was her first collegiate event. Lusby finished just over a second later at 18:30, a mark 40 seconds better than her previous personal best. 

Though the individual results were strong, the Mavericks did narrowly miss out on the team title on the women's side. Dallas Baptist finished with a total score of 32, while UTA finished with a score of 37.

"The girls had a nice result," Sauerhage said. "Even though we wanted to win ,the kids that lined up today competed really well. Very happy with the result."

UTA will regroup for the next couple of weeks before heading off to the 38th Annual Chile Pepper Festival, hosted by the Arkansas Razorbacks. The meet is scheduled for Oct. 3 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. FOLLOW ALONG
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