RANGER — The South Plains College men's and women's cross country teams picked up a pair of second-place finishes Saturday at the Region V Championships on the campus of Ranger Community College.
The Texans placed four runners inside the top 10 as they finished with a total time of 2:18:05 with an average time of 27:37. El Paso Community College won the men's 8k with a total time of 2:13:43 with an average time of 26:44.
The Lady Texans placed four runners inside the top 15, turning in a total time of 1:41:26 and an average time of 20:17. El Paso won the women's 5k with a total time of 1:35:08, including an average time of 19:01.
"I thought we ran well, and for the most part it was good to have just about everyone back out there," South Plains head coach Erik Vance said. "We ran on a tough course and it was extremely muddy, but I thought we ran well overall. I think we're ready to go for nationals and have both teams where they need to be, and if we can get everyone healthy we will be in good shape."
Sophomore Filmon Beyene led the Texans with a third place overall finish, clocking a final time of 26:08. South Plains' Andrew Bosquez placed sixth overall thanks to a time of 27:20.2, while Alex Kitum and Jesse Madrid placed ninth and 10th. Kitum turned in a final time of 27:42.8, with Madrid crossing the line at 27:55.5, respectively.
The Lady Texans were led by freshman Gladys Jemaiyo who earned a second place overall finish with a time of 18:16.5. Freshman Dorcus Ewoi also placed inside the top five as she paced herself to a fourth-place finish with a time of 19:10.9. South Plains' Angela Rodriguez would go on to place 11th overall with a time of 21:00.6, while Nyia Sena used a time of 21:12.2 to take 13th.
South Plains will return to the course on Nov. 10 when they travel to Garden City, Kansas for the 2018 NJCAA National Championships on the campus of Garden City Community College.
Region V Championships full results: https://www.directathletics.com/dispatcher.cgi?session_id=5022999DAJ48478&script_name=dispatcher.cgi&new_sport=xc&action=meet&meet_hnd=13839&module=results