Hill College men’s cross country team narrowly misses fourth consecutive conference championship, prepares for upcoming National Championship Meet

The Hill College Men’s Cross Country team narrowly missed a fourth consecutive North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference title by only a single point at the Regional/Conference Championships Oct. 25 in Hobbs, N.M. 

Although Ranger College took the men’s title, Hill College will still be competing in this weekend’s NJCAA Cross Country Championships in Fort Dodge, Iowa. 

Overall, Hill College finished sixth with 151 points at the Regional/Conference Championships. 

The women’s team, led by sophomore Katie Garza’s 13th overall place, finished runner-up for the third straight year and came in sixth overall in the Region. 

On the men’s team, Hill College sophomore Miguel Sanchez finished third in the 8K conference race and 23rd in the region with a time of 25:37. Sophomore teammate Samuel Pepe was fourth in conference, (27th in the region) with a time of 25:48; freshman Ricky Santos placed fifth in conference (28th in the region) with a time of 25:49; and freshman Saul Lopez was sixth in conference (30th in the region) with a time of 25:58. 

Freshman Cayden Floyd, who led early in the race, dropped back but rallied late in the race and missed beating Ranger College’s fifth man by 5 seconds. 

“Fifth place decided the championship,” Hill College Head Cross Country Coach Greg Lautenslager said. “Our team’s cumulative time was two minutes faster than last year, but Ranger College’s fourth and fifth men just ran out of their minds to beat us.” 

Floyd finished 10th in conference (39th in the region) with a time of 26:26. Other Hill College finishers included sophomore Maximus Austin, 44th in the region (26:37) and sophomore Garison Grizzle, 52nd in the region) with a time of 27:29.  

Garza was third in the women’s conference 5K race with a time of 18:57, leading all other Hill College runners. 

“It was another consistent performance for Katie,’ Lautenslager added. “She improved about 20 seconds from last year and rapidly is developing into one of the top college runners in Texas.” 

Ranger College also won the women’s NTJCAC meet, followed by Hill College, North Central Texas College, and Cisco College.  

New Mexico Junior College dominated the men’s and women’s regional races. 

Hill College sophomore Aimee Clarke finished eighth in the conference (30th in the region) with a time of 20:46. Clarke was followed by sophomore Angela Coronado (ninth in conference and 34th in the region with a time of 21:09), sophomore Elaina McCulloch (10th in conference, 40th in the region with a time of 21:58), sophomore Avery McCoy (11th in conference, 44th in the region with a time of 22:21), freshman Emma Hennessay (12th in conference, 49th in the region with a time of 23:11), and freshman Christiana Kamrath (13th in conference, 50th in the region). 

The NJCAA National Championship is the final cross country meet of the season. 

Lautenslager said Hill College will soon be preparing for the upcoming track season which begins in February. 

For more information on the Hill College men’s and women’s cross country and track programs, please visit https://hillcollegeathletics.com.