Tallahassee, Fla. – Coconino Community College freshman Hayley Burns convincingly wins the National Championships, and leads the team to a 4th place team finish.
Coming off a sprint finish victory at the NJCAA Region 1 Championships Burns had the confidence needed to continue her win streak in Tallahassee. Throughout the season Burns often used her finishing kick to take the lead and secure the victory, but today Burns deployed a new race strategy. From the gun Burns dashed to the front with only Mesa Community Colleges Kate Brockman following. Brockman is the runner up from the 2021 NJCAA National Championships and the only NJCAA individual to defeat Burns throughout the regular season. Brockman, typically a front runner, battled with Burns for the lead over the first kilometer, but by 1 mile Burns had opened up an impressive lead. Covering the first mile in about 5:11, Burns was clear of her competition and would continue to extend her lead.
Crossing 2 miles in under 11 minutes Burns had more than secured her National Championship title. She would maintain her lead and cross the finish line in a time of 18:22 for 5k. Her time would establish a new school record and more than 20 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor.
“Hayley and I had discussed a race plan ahead of time and she executed it perfectly. She’s worked incredibly hard throughout this whole season, and still has a lot of room to improve. I’m excited for the future she has in front of her. All our women raced phenomenal today and helped prove that CCC can be a national contender now and in the future”, said Head Coach Craig Hunt.
Not far behind, freshman teammate Taylor Biggambler would cross the finish line in 10th place overall in a time of 19:41. A strong 1-2 punch from Burns and Biggambler would help significantly in the team results. Whitney James would be the third comet to cross the finish line in 34th place, followed by Nevaeh Scott in 39th, and Julia Clarke in 50th. With a final score of 124 CCC would finish 4th as a team in only their second cross country season ever, and only 4 points out from 3rd place. Their 4th place finish today betters their USTFCCCA coaches poll national ranking of 5th heading into the championships.
“Today was a culmination of all the hard work these women have put in all summer and fall. We knew we were capable of something special today and these women truly came together as a team to prove that and came away with a 4th place team finish. I’d say that’s a pretty amazing accomplishment for a program only in their second season ever” Hunt added.
Burns and Biggambler both earned All-American honors for their performances. Burns also took home West Region Athlete of the Year, and National Athlete of Year. Burns became the first national champion in CCC school history.
Lansing Community College won the NJCAA DII Women’s Cross Country National Championships with 57 points. Mesa Community College would finish second with 58 points. Heartland Community College would round out the podium with 120 points.
