Ranger men race to 13th at NJCAA national meet
The Ranger College men's cross country team, sparked by a strong performance from sophomore Jahlil Howard, raced to 13th in the final team standings at the 2018 NJCAA National Cross Country Championships which was held on Nov. 10 at Buffalo Dunes Golf Course in Garden City, Kansas. Central Arizona won the men's national title by edging past Iowa Central. Region V powers El Paso Community College and South Plains finished third and ninth, respectively.
Competing in a field of more than 280 runners, Howard starred for the Rangers. The Montgomery (Texas) native, raced his way to 52nd in the individual standings. He finished the grueling 8-kilometer race with a time of 27 minutes, 43.1 seconds.
Daniel De La Cruz Flores and freshman Gilberto Palomo also turned in a solid outing for the Rangers. A sophomore from Donna (Texas), De La Cruz Flores legged out a 66th-place finish with a time of 28:11.8 Palomo was 94th at 28:40.1.
Ranger College also garnered strong performances from sophomores Chris Larson, Fernando Teran and Troy Wiles. Larson raced his way to 106th overall with a run of 28>49.6. Teran was 137th at 29>22.5, while Wiles checked in at No. 141 at 29:27.5.
Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College freshman Andrew Kibet garnered the NJCAA national title. He finished first with a time of 25:25.4.