T-Bird (M-T&F) Finishes Runner-up at Outdoor Championships for 2nd Straight Year
The Thunderbird men's track & field team finished runner-up at the 2025 NJCAA DI Men's Outdoor T&F Championships on Saturday, May 17 in Hutchinson, Kansas.
"Finishing in the runner-up spot, the men had a solid indoor and outdoor season," NMJC men's track & field head coach Terry VanLaningham said. "As the new head coach, one of my primary objectives for the team was for each individual to perform at their best when it counts the most. For the most part this was accomplished, and I believe establishes a great foundation for the future and next year's team."
South Plains won the team national title with a score of 119 points. The Thunderbirds came 23 points short of the Texans with a team total of 96 points. Iowa Western CC placed third with a team score of 83 points.
The Thunderbirds ended the Saturday meet with 11 new All-Americans, one individual national champion, and one relay national champion. NMJC finished the meet with 15 individual All-Americans, three individual national champions, one relay national champion, and two relay All-American squads.
LeBron James was crowned the javelin national champion with a throw of 69.27m. The performance earned him All-American status and added 10 points to the team score to start the day.
The T-Birds finished with three individual national champions in Samuel Ospina (pole vault), Jonathan Da Silva (decathlon), and James (javelin).
"The most exciting thing about our three national champions is that they are freshmen," Coach VanLaningham said. "Winning is never easy, and I am proud of how Jonathan, Sam, and LeBron persevered through a long collegiate season. This is difficult for all but especially for freshmen. I am proud of them and expect they will lead this program well and perform at an even higher level next year!"
The mile relay squad of TK Pahuwa, Chevoney Reid, Benjamin Nsiah, and Bovel McPherson ran a 3:03.32 to edge South Plains by .20 seconds in the 4x400. The team earned 10 points in the final race of the meet as they won back-to-back men's 4x400m titles (2024-25).
"The relays are especially significant because they are a microcosm of the entire championship meet," Coach VanLaningham said. "It takes all members to perform at their best at the same time to get it done. They got it done in impressive fashion as 3:03.32 is really fast. It was a great way to end the meet/season and foreshadow the success we intend to have next year. Bovel anchoring the squad to victory was certainly a fitting end to his super sophomore season and NMJC career. Coach Raske and I appreciated how he led the team in so many ways, and we are excited about his future endeavors and success!"
The 4x100m relay squad of Ezekiel Newton, Chevoney Reid, Timothey Tuna, and David Nyamufarira ran a 39.61 in the 4x100m to finish in third place. The All-American placement added six points to the team's total.
David Nyamufarira ran a 10.39 in 100m to finish in third place. The freshman picked up six points and is now a four-time All-American.
Benjamin Nsiah had a fantastic race Saturday afternoon running a 46.02 to place third in the 400m and grab six points. Nsiah finished the meet as a two-time All-American.
Alexandre Fablet finished the 1500m in 3:47.96 to set the school record in the event and finish in fourth place. Fablet came into nationals ranked No. 24 in the 1500m. The previous record was set by Evans Pololet in 2023 with a time of 3:48.23.
Johnathon Rodgers jumped 15.65m in his final attempt at the triple jump to place fourth overall and earn five points. Rodgers ended his sophomore season as a four-time All-American in the triple and long jump.
Bovel McPherson ran a 20.90 in the 200m to finish in fifth place adding four points. McPherson ended his career owning the indoor (national record) and outdoor school record in the 400m and is a five-time All-American.
Joao Dalandrea threw 52.47m in discus and finished in sixth place to add three points. Dalandrea ends his T-Bird career as a 3-time All-American and holds the discus school record.
Abdelkader Gardam threw 51.06m in discus and finished in eighth place to pick up All-American honors. Timothey Tuna finished the 100m in 10.61 to place eighth as an All-American.
The T-Birds completed the track & field season with a runner-up finish in outdoor and indoor in 2025 and the previous year in 2024.
