The pentathlon was the only event held on the day and saw athletes compete in the 60-meter hurdles, the high jump, the shot put, the long jump and the 800-meter run.
Along with Cota, senior Zoe Meade also entered the competition for the Aggies. Meade won the event in last year’s WAC Championships.
Cota was able to show off her field skills when she took first overall in the shot put with a distance of 10.65m (34 feet 11.25 inches). She also finished second in the long jump event with a distance of 5.22m (17 feet 1.5 inches).
Cota earned a total of 3,365 points in the pentathlon, defeating Ali Shields of Utah Valley by a total of 131 points.
With her first-place finish, Cota also earned NM State 10 points for the overall championships.
Meade was not able to finish the pentathlon due to a foot injury that was aggravated when she fell during the 60-meter hurdles. It was the only event that Meade competed in on the day.
The Aggies are back in action Thursday, Feb. 27, in several different qualifying events for the finals round that will take place on Friday. Fans can follow along with live results at www.WACSports.com.