CONCORDIA – Following a historic and record-setting regular season, the Cloud County Community College cross country teams will look to go down in the T-Bird record books as they run prepare for the 2019 NJCAA Region VI Cross Country Championships on Saturday at the Allen County Country Club in Iola.
Holding the number one ranking in each of the past three United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association NJCAA Poll, the T-Bird men have their sights set on the program’s first-ever Region VI Team Championship after fourth in each of the past three Region Championship races. Cloud County has been on a mission throughout the year, finishing as the top NJCAA team in each of the races that they have run while winning three of the six meets that they have competed in. Led by three-time USTFCCCA NJCAA National Runner of the Week Dais Malebana, Cloud County is coming off a ninth-place finish in their last 8K race at the Chile Pepper Festival in a meet that featured top teams from NCAA Division I, II, and the NAIA along with the NJCAA.
The men’s race sets up to be a battle throughout as Cloud County is one of four Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference schools ranked inside the top 10 of the latest USTFCCCA NJCAA Top 25 poll as Hutchinson is ranked seventh, host Allen County is ranked ninth, and Colby is ranked 10th. Things will get started in the 8K race at 10 a.m. with the top-15 individual runners earning all-region distinction.
Over on the women’s side, Cloud County will have three women competing with Kya Johnson, Maryse Mbenoun, and Tanya Harcum competing for the T-Birds as CCCC will look for strong individual outings from each of the three. Last time out at the Ollie Isom Invitational, Johnson would turn in a third-place finish against two other KJCCC schools along with Emporia State University while Mbenoun logged her first top-10 of the year with an eighth-place finish. Harcum has ran in three events this season, clocking a season-best time at the Ollie Isom Invitational last week as part of a 13th place finish.
Starting time for the Region VI Championships women’s race is set for 11 AM as part of a 5K race to determine both team and individual champions. Along with the top-15 earning all-region distinction, the top seven in both the KJCCC East and West Division will earn all-division honors.