NACC’s Cross Country Teams Compete in Inaugural Race at Choccolocco Park and Earn National Ranking

The Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams at Northeast Alabama Community College (NACC) made their debut last week at the Foothills Invitational at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama. The race was hosted by Jacksonville State University on Friday, September 1st.

The Mustangs are off to a great start as the Men’s team finished 16th among the 28 teams in the competition.  Out of the nine colleges represented by the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC), NACC’s Men’s team brought home a third-place finish.

"We are very proud of our cross-country runners and Coach Laney," stated NACC President Dr. David Campbell.  "We knew we had a very strong local foundation of great high school programs in our area to draw from and knew that Coach Laney would be an outstanding Coach. They are demonstrating this with their outstanding start."

Jose Luna ran an 18:12, and Austin Yoder ran an 18 to lead the Men’s team. Raven Fairley led the Women’s team with a top-100 finish. The Women’s team finished 20th among the 27 teams and was fourth among fellow ACCC teams.

“We are incredibly proud of this group of athletes for their outstanding performance in their debut race, and Coach Laney for leading them,” said NACC Athletic Director Barbara Kilgore. “What makes me even more proud is their tireless efforts and unwavering commitment to the program.”

At the Foothills Invitational, NACC teams competed against teams from Auburn University, the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Jacksonville State University, the University of West Florida and more.

In an impressive opening to the season, the NACC Men’s team broke into the national preseason rankings after this first outing. The team is currently ranked 21st nationally in the NJCAA Division II Coaches’ Preseason Poll. NACC’s athletes are all freshmen and are the only first-year team included in the rankings.

NACC’s Women’s Roster:                                        
McCall Chandler                                                        
Raven Fairley                                                             
Arely Garcia                                                               
Shelton Linville                                                         
Kimberly Miller

NACC’s Men’s Roster:
Conner Cothran
Brodie Ferguson
Jackson Howes
Josue Luna
Brodie Wilson
Austin Yoder

The Mustang's next meet is on Friday, September 15th, at the Montevallo Falcon Classic.