Vaqueras Place 6th out of 27 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 Vaqueras entered the meet ranked 10th in the nation, according to coaches and the media. The team slightly improved their ranking and ended up placing 6th out of 27 teams. Brianna Samuels, earned USTFFCCA All-American awards by placing in the top 30 in the meet.
"Brianna was determined all year to stake claim as being our teams top runner, she's come a long way and traveled far but she reached her goals." Stated Harmon. "Now we shift our focus towards track and getting them ready for the upcoming season."
Brianna was the top finisher for the first time this season, touring the course in 18:50.8 (28th overall), which was 60 seconds faster than what she ran earlier in the season on the same course and is also a new PR. Brianna, a sophomore, will be aiming to improve her results in 2023 track while the Vaqueras will have 6 of their top 7 returning next Fall.
The remaining Vaqueras finished as follows: