Thunderbird (MXC) Finishes Runner-up at Region V Championships
The NMJC men's cross country team finished runner-up at the Region V Championship 8k and placed second at the WJCAC Championship on Saturday, Oct. 26 at Harry McAdams Park.
The T-Birds finished in second place with 64 points, El Paso CC won the championship with 41 points, and Odessa College placed third with 82 points. The Thunderbirds runner-up at the Region V Championship was the first time NMJC has finished second this season.
Killian LeBourhis was the top finisher for the second straight meet after Mohammed Mrahi missed his third meet in a row. LeBourhis finished in sixth place with a time of 24:15.80. The time was a personal record for LeBourhis as he bettered his previous record by 9.70 seconds. The freshman's finish earned the Saint Malo, France native All-Region and WJCAC All-Conference honors.
Freshman Brian Cheruiyot placed 10th at the regional meet with a time of 24:26.40. The top-10 finish was his personal best by 2.80 seconds and earned the Kapsabet, Kenya native All-Region and All-Conference honors.
Paul Maurer has steadily improved throughout the season. Maurer's 13th-place finish of 24:37.20 was a personal best for the Swiss man. The sophomore's time was a 21-second improvement on his NMJC Invitational III race and 59.80 second improvement on his 2023 Region V performance.
Freshman Emmanuel Kimaiyo placed 16th as the fourth member of the lineup coming across the finish line in 25:23.00. Cyprien Bille was the final runner to factor into the team score as he finished in 28th place. Bille finished the race in 26:15.90, which was 1:29.70 better than his finish at the 2023 Region V Championship.
Israel Takap placed 30th with a time of 26:29.70 at the championship. Cyrus Kimaiyo was the last T-Bird across the finish line coming in 35th place with a time of 26:49.20.
The Thunderbird men will compete next at cross country nationals in two weeks as they prepare for the NJCAA Cross Country Championships at 3:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Pole Green Park in Richmond, VA. The men will also compete in the Half Marathon at 10:15 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at Dorey Park in Richmond, VA.
