The Louisburg College men's cross country team put on an impressive display at the Division II NJCAA Cross Country National Championship in Richmond, VA, last weekend. Competing against some of the nation's top junior college runners, the Hurricanes battled hard to finish 24th overall, marking a solid return to the national stage.
Led by standout Derrick Harris, who crossed the line in 26:07 and claimed 77th place out of 191 runners, the team showed significant improvement from their last national appearance in 2021. Harris, just six seconds behind the leaders who posted times around 23:30 for the 8k, set a new personal best at the 3k and 5k marks, as did many of his teammates.
The Hurricanes team average time was 27 minutes an impressive leap from the 30-minute team average they posted in their last national race in 2021. The national title was claimed by JaQuavious Harris of Salt Lake Community College, a record-breaking athlete who has qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 1500m. The Hurricanes' head coach, Mo Ordonez, was quick to praise the team for their fearless approach to a challenging competition.
"Not many runners can start an 8k race just 10 seconds off their mile PR and still manage to break their 3k and 5k personal records," Ordonez said. "I'm incredibly proud of how the team competed, they didn't let the competition intimidate them. Derrick was just six seconds behind the NJCAA 5k record holder and Olympic Trials qualifier. That speaks volumes about the strength and resilience of this team, they're not afraid of anyone."
The Hurricanes' lineup featured multiple strong performances, with Cristian Ortiz (128th, 27:10), Alex Dempsey (130th, 27:10), Trey Lamm (154th, 27:44), and Brandon Miller (158th, 27:54) rounding out the team's top five. Freshman Lance Stanford and Malcolm Yonuschot-Knight also gained valuable experience, helping the team secure its 24th-place finish.
Reflecting on the race, freshman Lance Stanford was proud of the team's effort and commitment. "Despite the tough competition and challenging conditions, we pushed ourselves to strive for greatness. We made a significant deposit into the legacy of this program, solidifying Louisburg College as one of the top cross country programs in the NJCAA."
With cross country season now complete, the Hurricanes will shift their focus to indoor track, which kicks off in early December. After a season marked by personal bests, team records, and unwavering tenacity, Louisburg College has shown it is a program on the rise, ready to make its mark on the track as well.