NMJC (WXC) Wins 1st Meet of the Year in Snyder

The T-Bird women's cross country team won the Western Texas College Open 5k with a score of 19 points on Friday, Aug. 22.

Sophomore transfer Yididiya Bifa won her first race in a Thunderbird uniform with a time of 20:31.38. The finish was 40 seconds faster than the best finisher in the 2024 race.

"We had a good first meet at Western Texas," NMJC women's cross country head coach Jeff Becker said. "The times are never fast on this course. It was exciting to see everyone that ran last year improved on their time this year. In the women's race, Yididiya's winning time is outstanding for this course." 

Sophomore Lisel Ndlovu came in third place Friday morning with a finish of 22:01.26. The time was a 31-second improvement compared to her 2024 finish.

Freshman Elsa Gueret placed fourth in her first race with NMJC after posting a 22:18.71. Alejandra Sierra is the only other freshman on the squad, and she placed fifth with a time of 22:43.33.

Sophomore transfer Lindsey Lopes rounded out the team score in sixth place coming across the line in 23:05.40.

Amal Kachouri, Ines Mrabet, and Hadil Chiha all sat out for the first meet in Snyder, Texas. They should return Saturday, Aug. 30 at the NM State- Lori Fitzgerald Memorial.

"Next week at New Mexico State, we will get a better test of where we're at. The course at New Mexico State, as well as the competition is always excellent."

The Thunderbirds next meet is the NM State- Lori Fitzgerald Memorial on Saturday, Aug. 30 at 7:30 a.m. MDT in Las Cruces, NM.