CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSIPS
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - The Trinidad State Men's and Women's Cross Country teams traveled to Tallahassee, Florida for the NJCAA Cross Country and Half Marathon Championships taking place on two separate days in different locations. The cross country championship took place Saturday November 12th and saw two Trojan men gain All-American honors as the men's team raced to a 6th place finish and the women to 20th. The half marathon Championship took place on Tuesday November 15th. The men's squad fought to a 5th place finish and the women to 11th place in the largest Half Marathon Championship contested in terms of participating teams. Loryn Trujillo grabbed the only All-American award for the Trojan ladies in the event while two Trojan men took home All-American honors.
A hot and humid day at Appalachee Regional Park hosted runners from around the country for the culminating event of the cross country season. Entering the meet the Trinidad State Men's team was ranked 10th in the nation. The ladies were unranked, as only the top 25 teams receive a ranking. In typical fashion the Trojans saved their best performance for last.
The women's 5,000 meter race heard the starters pistol first as over 200 runners launched into action. As has been the case all season, Loryn Trujillo led the Trojans with a strong performance in 43rd place. Maria Saenz ran a huge personal best on the course to narrowly lead the 3rd Trojan across the line, Kianna Quintana. Carli Valdez also ran a personal best time despite harsh conditions to be the 4th Trojan finisher. Vanessa Dominguez was the final finisher for Trinidad State in the championship event. "Our ladies have come a long way since the beginning of the season," said Coach Masterson. "We started with a small squad that didn't have a lot of experience at the 5k distance overall. Maria was coming from a sprint backround and made huge strides throughout the year and that showed at Nationals. Loryn has done a great job leading us throughout the season. Kianna and Vanessa have been consistent for us throughout the year and Carli was truly a huge part of us being able to be 20th at Nationals." The Trinidad State ladies ended up far outpacing their unranked position coming into the meet. Loryn Trujillo was the Region IX Champion and the ladies narrowly missed winnning another Region IX Championship as a team.
Despite high temperatures and a longer distance to race the men's 8,000 meter race was the last of the day. Hanibal Haile and Reagan Longei quickly got into the front pack of runners and rubbed elbows throughout the course of the race with various top athletes in the country before finishing in All-American position. Haile placed 12th to lead the Trojans while Longei was 21st. Kameron Eustace ran a well executed race to finish in 39th place. Collin Moore and Vincent Kipchirchir placed 64th and 66th respectively to round out the Trojans scoring five runners. Daniel Recio and Adrian Villarreal finished off the Trojan contingent in 85th and 97th place. "Our guys did a great job taking the situation they were dealt and making the best of the opportunity. We had illness moving through the team all week leading into the race and multiple guys not feeling their best. They came to compete and be the best they could anyway and snagged a 6th place team finish out of it," Coach Masterson praised the team. "These guys have set the bar high for themselves all season. They capped it off well."
HALF MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIPS
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - Rain, clouds, and cool temperatures changed the script for the Half Marathon Championship contested the Tuesday after the Cross Country Championships. The 2022 race hosted the most runners and most teams that have ever competed in the event. Despite increased competition, the Trojans did not fall short. The 13.1 mile course rolled along tree covered roads where the athletes made two out-and-back loops before finishing. Loryn Trujillo started in 15th place during the early miles but slowly and methodically moved her way up the field. In the final miles she moved past tiring competitors to finish 7th overall and grab her first All-American award. In the men's race Hanibal Haile raced to a 14th place finish after moving back and forth in the front pack for most of the race. Kameron Eustace had a blazing second half of the race and ran himself into 16th place. Both athletes earned All-American honors for their finishes. Reagan Longei and Adrian Villarreal both competed well to finish in 23rd and 25th place respectively. Vincent Kipchirchir, Kyle Awelagte and Collin Moore wrapped up the Trojan men's team in 30th, 32nd and 39th place respectively. In the women's race Trujillo led the team with Kianna Quintana, Carli Valdez, Vanessa Dominguez and Maria Saenz all finishing for the Trojans in 49th, 51st, 56th, and 63rd place.
The men finished 5th as a team while the women finished 11th. Coach Masterson commented on the race, "Both squads were really ready to go today. We knew that the course was going to be challenging and that the second half of the race would be where a lot of moves were made. We had great performances from both teams. I'm so proud of Loryn and how well she raced today. Hanibal dealt with some foot issues but still was at the front for us. Kameron brought his best today. The team is always the focus at Trinidad State, and these athletes really pulled each other along to great finishes."
Northwest Technical College took the men's team title and Iowa Central won the women's.