October 1, 2022

The Central Arizona College Men and Women Cross Country Teams had a busy weekend, as they were involved in two different events.  The men and women started off the weekend on Friday by volunteering at the Desert Twilight Meet held near the Avavaipa Campus, the meet boasts some of the top high school teams in the region and consists of over 1500 runners and an additional 500 spectators.  

"I am very proud of the group that volunteered today! It was a long day of being on our feet but knowing we were helping the community and the local high schools kept us motivated"  Stated Head Coach Jon Harmon.  The group, which volunteered for over 7 hours, had a 5 hour break to sleep before they were back at it the next day.

On Saturday the teams competed at the Mesa Jamboree held on the campus of Mesa Community College.  Other schools competing were Arizona Christian University, Park University, Cuyamaca CC, Glendale CC, Paradise Valley CC, Dine CC, Coconino CC, and Phoenix College. 

The Vaquero's and Vaquera's raced valiantly but were well undermanned as 3 of the Vaqueros top 5 were given a rest week and 4 of the top 5 Vaqueras took a week off as well.  

"I wanted to give a break to those that have been racing well up to this point, it was a great opportunity for the rest of the group to step up and represent themselves and the school the best they can"  Stated Harmon.

The Vaquero's still managed to place 4th overall, scoring 68 points total which was only 14 away from 2nd place.  Mesa CC won the meet with 34 total points, respectively. 

Leading the group was Elliot Smith, who placed 3rd overall, also set a season PR of 25:49 in the 8km race.  Rounding out scoring for the men was Jorge Corona (26:25) for 10th overall, Gift Mashilo 15th overall, Michael Sexon 23rd overall, and Namath Gene 29th overall. 

The Vaqueras did not field a team as only 4 ladies competed but each one set season pr's in the process. 

The women were led by Melissa Ruse, who ran her first 5k this season, with a 23rd place finish.  Following behind Melissa was Brianna Samuels with a season best of 22:12 for 5km, which was good enough for 28th overall. Destiny Soto finished the race in 35th place and a 4 second season best time.  Rounding out the team was Cameron Nelson, who knocked off over a minute from her season best for 43rd overall.

"The ladies had a mind-set from the start to go out there and set new season bests and they all did just that.  Although we did not field a team, we reduced our team average which was our goal.  The women are definitely trending in the right direction" Said Coach Harmon. 

Central Arizona College Cross Country is back in action on a short week as they travel to San Diego for the Manny Bautista Invitational hosted by San Diego Community College on Friday, October 7th.  

For complete results from the Mesa Jamboree click here.