BLINN CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS TO COMPETE IN NATIONAL MEET
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
As the Blinn College men’s and women’s cross country teams prepare for the NJCAA Division I Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Championships, Jesse Parker is hammering home one message.
“Let’s be the best junior college in Texas,” Blinn’s second-year head coach tells his runners. “Let’s go to nationals and show everyone what we’re about.”
The Buccaneer men and women, ranked 11th and 19th, respectively, by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), will compete in the national meet for the second time in as many seasons Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Blinn is looking to improve on its placements from its inaugural season in 2024 (20th place for the men; 21st for the women), while outrunning some of the Lone Star State's top programs.
The Bucs are expecting to be joined by eight men’s and women’s programs from Texas this weekend, each of which are ranked in the USTFCCCA top 25 poll. Eighth-ranked Odessa, No. 12 South Plains, No. 16 Western Texas, No. 17 Ranger, No. 19 Hill, No. 20 El Paso, and No. 21 Amarillo are all expected to enter Saturday’s competition.
“We want to go out and prove something about our program compared to other Texas teams,” Blinn sophomore Eric Lagat said. “We are still a new program, and when you get to nationals, you have an opportunity to make a name for yourself both individually and as a team. This is our opportunity, and we’re excited for it.”
Region 14 individual champion and freshman Matthew Binkley, Fernandez, Lagat, sophomore Christian Gonzalez, and freshmen Brandon Lopez, Aidan Hernandez, and Nolan Schreiber will run for the Bucs.
The Blinn men finished the season as Region 14 champions at the Region 14 Championship meet and placed second in two of the four regular-season meets they ran this fall. The Bucs did not compete in any junior college-exclusive competitions this season, as each meet included junior college, NAIA, and NCAA teams.
“We’ve been challenged at every meet we’ve run,” Fernandez said. “We’ve been pushed to exceed what I think any of us believed was possible, and for a young team like we have, that says a lot about our potential and ability.”
On the women’s side, Blinn looks to achieve similar goals. The Bucs want to surpass last season’s finish and place higher than their national ranking.
Blinn is expected to be joined by No. 1 Odessa, No. 3 El Paso, No. 6 Ranger, No. 17 Amarillo, No. 22 Hill, No. 24 Western Texas, and No. 25 North Central Texas.
“Some of the best women’s teams in the country are right here in Texas, and if we want to continue to progress and move up that ladder, nationals is a good way to do it,” Parker explained. “We have a lot of veteran leadership who have been through this experience before, and I think that, combined with the young talent, we have a chance to make a bigger splash.”
Blinn also earned a Region 14 title with a victory at the Region 14 championship meet in October – the first of its kind in Buccaneers history – to go with second- and third-place finishes in two of four regular-season fall meets. The Bucs were also regularly competing against NAIA and NCAA programs this season.
Sophomores Clare White (Region 14 runner-up), Mia Guillen, Sophie Pyle, and Juliana Jeansonne will make their return to the national stage after competing in the event in 2024. They will be joined by freshmen Kaitlin Wilson, Chloe Ross, and Rosario Botello.
“There are some nerves, but there’s also excitement and determination to do better than last year,” Jeansonne said. “We have a chance to raise the bar even higher for the next crop of Blinn runners, and that’s an exciting responsibility.”
Following the cross country national meets, the Blinn men and women will also compete in the NJCAA Division I Men's and Women's Half Marathon Championships on Tuesday, Nov. 11, also in Fort Dodge. The teams each finished in 14th place in the 2024 half marathon.