Warren Named 2018 NJCAA Region III Women's Cross Country All-American
Congratulations to Cross Country Runner Piper Warren for being named the first ever Jefferson Community College 2018 NJCAA Region III Women's Cross Country All-American!
Piper ran an exceptional race on Saturday at Stanley Park in Westfield, MA at the NJCAA DIII National Cross Country Championship. In a crowded start Piper got out well and found herself in about 18th place at the mile marker; from there she moved her way up through the middle of the race on the uphill section and by the time she popped out of the woods with a half mile to go she found herself in 11th place. From there she surged with about 600m to go to separate herself from a hard charging group of runners right behind her. She finished strong and was able to hang on to finish 11th in the nation; she finished the rain soaked 5 kilometer course with a time of 20:44.0 and became the first ever SUNY Jefferson Cannoneer Cross Country runner to earn ALL-AMERICAN status.
Warren was followed by Jasmine Harris who got out really strong at the crowded start and raced extremely well over the entire 5K race and her kick over the final stretch led to a 36th place national finish with a time of 22:32.3 – a personal best by 2 minutes and 45 seconds. She was followed by Kayla Ruttan who got out to a slow start but got stronger throughout the race and moved up through the pack. She struggled in the last half mile but was able to run strong and pass several runners in the last few hundred meters. Kayla finished 83rd in the nation with a time of 25:20.1 – a personal best by 1 minute and 9 seconds. She was followed by Maddison Sochia who ran a steady and smart race; she got out well and slowly moved her way up throughout the race and had a great finish over the last half mile passing 4 other runners. Maddi finished 108th in the nation with a time of 27:47.1 – a season best by 2 minutes and 36 seconds.
Congratulations to all the girls on a great season!