Vaqueros Place 7th out of 28 teams at NJCAA National Championships
November 11, 2023
Central Arizona College Men and Women Cross Country competed at the 2023 NJCAA National Championship on Saturday. Both squads were aiming for a podium finish, unfortunately the squads fell short of their team goals as the men placed 7th overall and the women were 6th overall.
"Our teams had a goal from day one, like every other team, to win a championship." Stated Head Coach Jon Harmon. "We fell short of those goals today but this one race won't define all the good things we did this season and I'm hoping it makes those young men and women hungry and excited for what is to come."
The Vaqueros entered the meet ranked 9th in the nation, according to coaches and the media. The team slightly improved their ranking and ended up placing 7th out of 28 teams. Two Vaqueros, Samuel Gilson and Julian Campos, earned USTFFCCA All-American awards by placing in the top 30 in the meet.
"Sam and Julian have been leading the men all year, so for them to come to nationals and continue that trend is a testament to how hard they worked" Stated Harmon. "Now we shift our focus towards track and getting them ready for the upcoming season."
Sam was the top finisher for the first time this season, touring the course in 24:41.4 (21st overall), which was 23 seconds faster than what he ran earlier in the season on the same course. Sam, a freshman, will be aiming to improve his results in 2024 with the Vaqueros as 4 of the top 7 men will be returning next Fall.
The remaining Vaqueros finished as follows:
