Aztecs Cross Country Finish in Top 10; Logo Named All-American at Nationals
The Pima Community College men's and women's cross country teams saved their best performances for last on Saturday at the NJCAA National Championships in Ft. Dodge, IA.
The women's team, ranked No. 6 in the country, matched their ranking as they took sixth place out of 42 teams with a score of 271 points. The Aztecs finished ahead of Paradise Valley Community College (eight place with 311 points) and Glendale Community College (28th with 680 points). Central Arizona College took third (193) and Mesa Community College took fifth (252).
Sophomore Kelsey Montano (Tucson Magnet HS) led the Aztecs in the 5K (3.1-mile race) as she took 17th place out of 305 runners with a time of 19 minutes, 09.80 seconds. Freshman Katy Loyd (Catalina HS) closed out the race in 45th place with a mark of 19:55.3. Sophomore Mariah Zavala (Amphitheater HS) crossed the finish line in 47th place with a time of 19:57.7 while freshman Samantha Felzien took 65th at 20:17.1. Sophomore Desire Montenegro (Sunnyside HS) rounded out Pima's top-five as she took 124th at 21:03.9.
In the men's 8K (4.97-mile race), the Aztecs, ranked No. 12 in the country, finished in ninth place out of 39 teams with 321 points. They beat out Mesa (13th place with 389) and Glendale (16th with 478). Central Arizona took second place (86) and Paradise Valley finished fourth (126).
Sophomore Amanuel Logo (Catalina HS) was named NJCAA All-American Honorable Mention after he placed 11th out of 293 competitors with a time of 25 minutes, 37.80 seconds. Fellow sophomore Mark Bennett (Marana HS) finished in 35th place with a mark of 26:27.4 while sophomore Ahmed Mohamed (Rincon HS) was 63rd at 27:12.7. Freshman Anas Ali (Catalina HS) placed 92nd with a time of 27:48.4 and fellow freshman Armando Antonio Jr. (Desert View HS) rounded out the top five at 142nd place with a mark of 28:42.0.
This was the best team finish for the men's and women's programs at the National Championships in 10 years according to coach Greg Wenneborg.
"Both teams met or beat their national rankings and I'm very happy that they both finished in the top 10 in one of the biggest fields (of competition) I have seen," Wenneborg said.
Check out complete results of the women's race here
See complete results of the men's race here
Amanuel Logo/Photo by Ben Carbajal 2015
