Thunderbirds Finish 3rd in Daktronics Cup
New Mexico Junior College finished third in the 2023-24 Daktronics Cup with a total of 162.5 points.
The Daktronics Cup is an NJCAA season-long award that is given to the institutions who have excelled at the national level in athletics.
Points for each sport are earned at the highest level of competition offered in each of the three (3) divisions. A first-place finish earns 20 points, second place earns 19 points, third place 18, etc. Each institution is allowed to earn points in their top-five sports per gender, with a college program having the potential to earn points in ten (10) total sports.
"NMJC Athletics is blessed with great coaches, administrators, faculty and staff that all contribute to the success of our student-athletes," Director of Athletics Deron Clark said. "Our program is honored to accept the Daktronics Cup 3rd place finish for the 2023-24 athletic year."
This is the fifth year that Daktronics has sponsored this award in conjunction with the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA).
NMJC came in third place this year behind Barton Community College (2nd place-173) and Iowa Western Community College (1st place-181.5).
The Thunderbirds finished in fourth place in 2022-23 with 139.5 points and seventh place in the 2021-22 with 108.5 points.
The T-Birds had nine teams that earned points towards the Daktronics Cup with their national championship finishes.
NMJC had the maximum five women's sports contribute to the overall school total. The Thunderbirds scored 19 points in women's cross country (2nd place), 18 points for indoor women's track and field (3rd place), 14.5 points in women's basketball (Quarterfinal), 20 points for outdoor women's track and field (1st place), and 16 points for women's golf (5th place).
The men had four teams count toward the school's total. The T-Birds recorded 17 points for men's cross country (4th place), 19 in indoor men's track and field (2nd place), 19 in outdoor men's track and field (2nd place), and 20 points for men's golf (1st place).
The Thunderbirds finish in the Daktronics Cup is all the more impressive when you factor in the number of sports NMJC offers in comparison to the other top 3 finishers.
The T-Birds competed in 10 NJCAA sanctioned sports in the 2023-24 season compared to the 20 sports at Barton CC (2nd place), and 20 sports at Iowa Western CC (1st place). The two other schools had double the opportunities to score higher in a national event than NMJC.
The T-Birds completed the year with 12 sports making it to their respective national tournaments.
On the men's side, NMJC made it to nationals in men's cross country, men's half marathon, men's indoor track & field, men's golf, and men's outdoor track & field.
The women had seven sports make it to nationals this season with women's cross country, women's half marathon, volleyball, women's indoor track & field, women's basketball, women's golf, and women's outdoor track & field.
"The commitment generated by New Mexico Junior College to provide a path for academic and athletic success for our student-athletes," Clark said. "This has created a culture of positive experience that represents the foundation this institution has built since 1965."