The El Paso Community College (EPCC) Tejanas made their mark at the New Mexico Junior College (NMJC) Thunderbird Open, racing to victory with formidable performances that placed them ahead of their competition. According to EPCC News, the women's cross country team clinched a decisive first-place finish with 35 points during the event held on Friday, October 10, overshadowing Odessa by 19 points. Nhamoinesu “Toddy” Mabvuka, a freshman at EPCC, led the pack with a time of 17:41 in the 5K race, notching a season's best.
Sophomore Antonia Ronoh and fellow freshmen Faith Rotich and Maureen Jepkosgei were among the top finishers, securing spots in the upper echelon of the leaderboard. Running a time of 18:34, Ronoh took the 5th position, with Rotich trailing close behind in sixth at 18:45. With a 10th place finish at 19:50 in the air that was crisp with autumn's early chill, Jepkosgei rounded out a strong showing for the Tejanas.
The EPCC men didn't trail far behind in their pursuit, though landing in the middle with a 5th place team finish at the 8K event, accumulating 94 points. Aydan Lugo, an EPCC sophomore, led his team with a 15th-place finish, clocking a time of 26:09. Teammates Gustavo Salazar and Bryan Hernandez weren't far behind, coming in at 16th with 26:11 and 18th with 26:14, respectively, as noted by EPCC News.
The event featured several other colleges, including Odessa College and the University of the Southwest, among others. According to the details posted by EPCC News, the Tejanas and Tejanos are now looking forward to competing in the NJCAA Region V Championships on October 25, anticipating more strides to their journey, a journey laden with the potential of qualifying for the upcoming National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Men's and Women's Cross Country and Half Marathon National Championships, scheduled in Fort Dodge, Iowa, between November 8-11.
