Aztecs Cross Country Teams Take Third at Region I Championships
The Pima Community College men's and women's cross country teams competed in the Region I Championships on Saturday at Villago Community Park in Casa Grande.
In the women's 5K (3.1 mile) race, the No. 5 ranked Aztecs took third place with a team score of 62 points. Central Arizona College, ranked No. 3 in the country, took first with 36 points while No. 6 ranked Mesa Community College placed second with 53. Paradise Valley Community College, ranked No. 10, took fourth place with 69 and No. 20 ranked Glendale Community College took fifth with 109 points. Estrella Mountain Community College was sixth with 173.
Sophomore Kelsey Montano (Tucson Magnet HS) took third place out of 38 competitors. She finished with a time of 19 minutes, 00.5 seconds and earned first-team All-Region. Freshman Katy Loyd (Catalina HS) placed 10th with a time of 19:40.9 as she was named second team All-Region. Freshman Samantha Felzien was named to the third team after she placed 12th at 19:42.8.
Sophomores Elizabeth Deaton (Cienega HS) and Mariah Zavala (Amphitheater HS) rounded out Pima's top five. Deaton took 17th with a time of 20:12.1 and Zavala placed 20th at 20:17.1.
In the men's 8K (4.97 mile) race, the No. 13 ranked Aztecs took third place with a score of 80 points. Central Arizona College, ranked No. 3, took first place with 31 points while No. 4 Paradise Valley finished second with 34 points. Glendale Community College took fourth place with 102 and No. 18 Mesa placed fifth at 108.
Sophomore Amanuel Logo (Catalina HS) was the top finisher for the Aztecs as he crossed the finish line in eighth place out of 37 competitors with a time of 26:01.6. That earned him second team All-Region. Sophomores Mark Bennett (Marana HS) and Ahmed Mohamed each received third-team All-Region honors for their finishes. Bennett took 11th at 26:21.7 and Mohamed finished 15th with a time of 26:46.5.
Freshmen Anas Ali (Catalina HS) and Armando Antonio Jr. (Desert View HS) rounded out Pima's top five. Ali took 21st with a time of 27:55.2 and Antonio Jr. was 25th at 28:22.0.
Both teams qualified for the NJCAA National Championships since both were ranked in the top 15. The championships will be at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge, IA on Saturday, Nov. 14. The men's race will be at 10:00 a.m. and the women's race will follow at 11:00 a.m.
All-Region teams: Amanuel Logo (2nd team), Ahmed Mohamed (3rd team), Mark Bennett (3rd team), Kelsey Montano (1st team), Samantha Felzien (3rd team), Katy Loyd (2nd team). Photo by Raymond Suarez
