Mesa's women finished third and the men fourth in the Division II NJCAA National Cross Country Championships, while Central Arizona saw both of its teams place eighth in Division I races Saturday in Richmond, Va.
The MCC women were paced by Kate Brockman who took second place overall, earning All-American honors with a 5K time of 18:37.3. The T-Birds' Tanaeya Johnson also was an All-American with an 11th place finish in 19:25.1
Meanwhile, the MCC men were led by Yotuel Garcia who ran eighth, also an All-American, clocked in 25:43.4. Mesa's Region I champion, Caden Resendez, was unable to run due to an injury. Mesa coach Daniel Pescador was named DII West Region Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
CAC's men were paced by Raphael Kitur who was 19th with a time of 25:07.7. On the women's side Makena Thornton was 20th with a 19:13.1 showing.
Pima's men claimed 16th in the DI race, led by Joel Gardner who was 59th in 26:48.7. The Aztec women were 21st paced by Mykayla Tarwater who placed 98th in 21:49.7.
In DII among the men, Paradise Valley finished eighth with Gilbert Olivas running 21st with a time of 26:28.5. Running as individuals, Glendale's Hayder Al-Anizi was 126th in 29:32.9. Phoenix was led by Miguel Molina in 128th place in 29:34.3.
On the women's side, Paradise Valley entered two runners with Ryan Heliger earning All-American recognition by finishing tenth with a 19:22.7 clocking. Phoenix saw Nadia Torres finish in 107th place in 22:11. 0. Glendale had Catalina Soto in 119th place with a time of 2:31.5 clocking.
