Aztecs men's cross country took 16th place in the final team standings at the NJCAA Division I National Championships. Freshman Joel Gardner (left) was the top Pima finisher and earned a personal-record. Freshmen Caleb Rayman and Chalen Lozano also set collegiate personal-records. (Left to Right): Joel Gardner, Brendan Torres, Avery Dylla, Emmanuel Corral, Collins Maiyo, Chalen Lozano and Caleb Rayman. Photo courtesy of Mark Bennett.
Posted: Nov 13, 2021
The Pima Community College men's cross country team closed out the season on Saturday at the NJCAA Division I National Championships.
- The Aztecs finished in 16th place out of 26 teams with a team-total of 450 points.
- Freshman Joel Gardner (Ironwood Ridge HS) was the top finisher for the Aztecs as he took 55th place out of 198 competitors with a collegiate personal-record time of 26 minutes, 48.7 seconds.
- Freshman Emmanuel Corral (Pusch Ridge Christian HS) placed 85th in the individual standings with a time of 27:30.5 while freshman Caleb Rayman (Cienega HS) crossed the finish line in 92nd with a personal-record of 27:42.0.
- Freshman Chalen Lozano (Marana HS) took 107th and set a collegiate personal-record time of 28:11.7. Freshman Avery Dylla (Ironwood Ridge HS) was 111th at 28:19.1.
- Coach's Quote: "These athletes have come a long way and I am so proud of them. They are so hard-working and have overcome so much," Pima men's and women's cross country co-head coach Mark Bennett said. "The momentum we have generated this season will continue into track season and we are looking to do bigger things next year in cross (country)."
- The Aztecs will compete in the 2022 track & field season starting in January.
See complete results of the NJCAA Division I Championships on TFRRS XC