mens cross country

Full Results Glendale, Ariz. – Coconino Community College’s Ryan Hatch and Kevin Pawesiema Jr. earned All-Region honors at the NJCAA Region 1 Championships while leading their team to a 3rd place team finish. The CCC men’s cross country team competed at the NJCAA Region 1 Championships where they scored 82 points and finished 3rd overall. Hatch was the top comet finisher with an 11th place finish in a time of 26:45. Pawesiema Jr. crossed the finish line in 27:29 for 8k placing 15th and securing the final All-Region honor. Kyler Williams, Tanner Dugi, and Taylor Taliman closed out the scoring for the comets. “The weather today was hot and didn’t necessarily allow for fast times, but in championship racing we are less focused on the times and more on where we are placing within the race. We had two runners earn All-Region in a tough field that contained the #1 and #2 Nationally ranked teams in the country”, Head Coach Craig Hunt said after the race. In an upset, #2 nationally ranked Paradise Valley Community College took home the victory with 25 points, beating out nationally ranked #1 Mesa Community College who scored 35 points. CCC is currently ranked #12 nationally according to the USTFCCCA coaches poll. The Comet’s will toe the start line next at the NJCAA DII National Cross Country Championships on November 11th at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama.

Full Results Riverside, Calif. – Coconino Community College’s Ryan Hatch broke his own 8k school record at the Highlander Invitational hosted by the University of California Riverside. The comets hit the road and competed at the Highlander Invitational in Riverside, California, where they met a competitive field with over 20 teams consisting of NCAA division I , division II, division III, NAIA, and NJCAA teams. Hatch took no mercy on his own school record as he ran 25:29 over the 8k distance to smash his previous time of 26:27. Tanner Dugi ran a time of 27:03, Kevin Pawesiema Jr. 27:29, Kyler Williams 27:41, Taylor Taliman 28:44, Jehovan Flores 30:56, and Hayden Williams 31:43, all of which were lifetime personal bests. Ladainian Morris, 29:48, also competed and ran his second fastest 8k time ever. Here’s what Head Coach Craig Hunt had to say about the race, “We came out to Riverside to get out of our comfort zone and challenge ourselves. A race this size, with over 20 teams and 200 individuals, is just what we needed to help simulate our national championships and gain more experience in tough races, and I believe we did exactly that. Performance wise we had 2 school records set, one on the men’s side and another on the women’s side, so hopefully the athletes are leaving with some extra confidence.” Both the Men’s and Women’s cross country teams will compete next at the NJCAA Region 1 Championships at Heroes Regional Park in Glendale, Arizona on October 28th, hosted by Glendale Community College.

Full Results Coolidge, Ariz – An unprecedented four individual comet’s dipped under the previous 8k school record at the 2023 Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Championships. Ryan Hatch rewrote the record book as he ran a time of 26:27 over 8k to surpass former teammate Damien Clarks school record of 28:17 by over 1 minute. Three other comets dipped under Clarks previous school record. Tanner Dugi finished in 27:15, Kevin Pawesiema Jr. ran 27:28, and Kyler Williams narrowly bettered Clark by running 28:16. Nationally ranked #3 Mesa Community College took the victory with 35 points over Central Arizona College, and #1 Paradise Valley Community College. Coconino Community College is currently ranks #18 nationally and placed 5th at the ACCAC Championships. Men’s cross country will compete next at the Highlander Invitational in Riverside, California on October 14th, hosted by University of California Riverside.

Full Results Prescott, Ariz. – In their second race of the season the Coconino Community College men’s cross country team competed at the AZ Invitational hosted by Embry-Riddle University. Rolling hills and high temperatures made for a strategic race. CCC’s Ryan Hatch ran with the leaders and was able to secure a 7th place finish to lead the comets. Tanner Dugi narrowly missed the top ten by finishing 11th. Kevin Pawesiema Jr. placed 14th, while Kyler Williams took 21st, followed closely by Taylor Taliman in 22nd to close out CCC’s scoring five runners. Overall the comets placed 3rd. The home team, Embry-Riddle University took home the title, and Arizona Christian University placed second. CCC’s men’s cross country team will race next at the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Championships on September 30th in Coolidge, Arizona, on the campus of Central Arizona College.

Full Results Flagstaff, Ariz – The Coconino Community College men’s cross country team opened up their 2023 campaign at the George Kyte Classic hosted by Northern Arizona University. Racing on “home” turf at Buffalo Park, the comets were led by freshman Ryan Hatch over the 4.5 mile distance. Hatch crossed the finish line in a time of 25:17. Hatch was followed closely by teammate Tanner Dugi in a time of 25:20. Kevin Pawesiema Jr. was CCC’s third runner, followed by Taylor Taliman, and Ladainian Morris rounding out CCC’s scoring runners. Freshman Kyler Williams, and Hayden Williams also competed for the comets. “It’s exciting to have the team open up their season right here in Flagstaff in front of some many of our fans, friends, and family. We have a lot of freshmen on our roster this season so it’s always nice to have them make their collegiate debuts on a familiar race course. From here we can focus on training and continue to build towards our ultimate goal of nationals on November 11th.” said Head Coach Craig Hunt A team of NAU Alumni took the win in the open division with 17 points, and the reigning NCAA Champions NAU took the victory in the NCAA Division I race with a perfect score of 15. The CCC men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete next at the AZ Invitational hosted by Embry-Riddle University in Prescott, Arizona.

Full Results Tallahassee, Fla. – In only their second season ever the Coconino Community College men’s cross country team capped off by an impressive season with a 23rd place team finish at the NJCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Championships. On a hot and humid day at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida the comets took on a field of 29 teams. Heading into the championships CCC was nationally ranked 23rd by the USATFCCCA Coaches poll and successfully matched that ranking by scoring a total of 584 points. The comets dropped down from 7,000 ft of elevation to nearly sea level to toe the line of their biggest race this season. The team’s pre-meet course preview was met with hurricane force winds and rain caused by hurricane Nicole. Fortunately by Saturday, race day, the storm had dissipated and left behind nothing but sunshine and humidity. Apalachee Regional Park has famously hosted races such as the USATF Cross Country National Championships, Florida High School State Championships, and the 2021 NCAA Division I National Championships. The 8k race course consisted of mostly grass, crushed shell trail, and rolling hills. The spectator friendly course hosted over 1,000 fans cheering with anticipation throughout all the races. Coconino’s top runner was Kevin Pawesiema Jr. cracked the top 100 individuals placing 95th place. Teammate Alisseo Honanhi ran strong with a 116th place finish, followed by Tristen Hatch and Damon Attakai in 144th and 145th place respectively. Rounding out the scoring for the comets was Damien Clark. This was the second time that the CCC men participated at the NJCAA National Championships, but the first they produced a scoring team. “This was the biggest race we have participated in all season with over 200 runners and the team handled it as well as any other program here. The heat definitely played a factor as we have been adjusting to cooler weather in Flagstaff, but it will make for a perfect afternoon on the beach later today. Best of all though we made history today by having CCC’s first scoring team at a National Championship and equaling our national ranking and that puts a huge smile on my face”, said Head Coach Craig Hunt with joy. The CCC men’s cross country team concluded their 2022 season and will kick off the next season at the George Kyte Classic at Buffalo Park in Flagstaff Arizona over labor day weekend in 2023. Paradise Valley Community College won the 2022 NJCAA DII Cross Country National Championships with a score of 68. Heartland Community College placed 2nd with 88 points, followed by Lansing Community College with 94 points.

Full Results Coolidge, Ariz. – The Coconino Community College men place 3rd at the NJCAA Region I Championships. Damien Clark breaks the 8k school record placing 16th as an individual. The CCC men took to the start line in a race doubling at the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Championships and the NJCAA Region I Championships. The comets successfully placed 3rd in the Region I Championship section and 5th in the ACCAC Championship section. Clark led the comets in a new school record of 28:17 over the 8k distance. CCC’s Kevin Pawesiema Jr. wasn’t far behind in a time of 28:34 good enough for 17th place. Damon Attakai, Alisseo Honanhi, and Tristyn Hatch finished in a line placing 21st, 22nd, and 23rd. Next up the comets will compete at the 2022 NJCAA Cross Country National Championships in Tallahassee, Florida on November 12th. Paradise Valley Community College won the Region I Championships with a score of 25. Central Arizona College took home the ACCAC Championship title with a total of 30 points.

Full Results Mesa, Ariz. – The Coconino Community College men’s cross country team competed at the Mesa College XC Jamboree where they successfully beat #22 nationally ranks Phoenix College. The comets competed against three nationally ranked teams at today’s Mesa College XC Jamboree. #4 Paradise Valley Community College, #7 Mesa Community College, and #22 Phoenix College were all in attendance. The un-ranked Comets were led by Kevin Pawesiema Jr with a 31st place finish and an 8k time of 28:28. Damien Clark was CCC’s second runner in 29:19, followed by Damon Attakai, and Tristyn Hatch in 30:50, and 31:05. Alisseo Honanhi rounded out the team scoring for the Comets in 57th place. CCC scored a total of 163 points to narrowly take down #22 Phoenix college by 1 point. #7 Mesa Community College won on their home course defeating #4 Paradise Valley Community College 34 to 54. Next up the men’s cross country team will compete at the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference and NJCAA Region I Championships at Central Arizona College on October 29th.

Full Results Coolidge, Ariz. – The Coconino Community College men’s cross country team made history by producing the first team score in school history and placing 6th overall. In cross country, in order to produce a team score you need five individual runners to cross the finish line. Before today CCC men’s cross country, at most, had only had four runners compete in a race. Today marks a milestone in the program’s history as the Comets had five individual runners race in the Vaquero CAMPY Invite at Central Arizona College. The Comets produced a team score of 157 and averaged 31:13 over the 8k distance. The scoring squad consisted of student-athletes Damon Attakai, Damien Clark, Kevin Pawesiema Jr., Alisseo Honahni, and Tristyn Hatch. Attakai was CCC’s top runner in a time of 28:33 breaking the previous school record of 31:06 set by Mauricio Gonzalez last year at the National Championships. Mesa Community College won as a team with a score of 36 points. The comets will next compete at the Mesa College XC Jamboree in Mesa, Arizona on October 1st.

Full Results Flagstaff, Ariz. – Coconino Community College men’s cross country opened up their 2022 campaign at the George Kyte Classic at Buffalo Park in Flagstaff, Arizona. Buffalo Park, a popular location for the Comets to perform their training, was the site of their season opener hosted by Northern Arizona University. The comets competed over a 4.5 mile distance at nearly 7,000 feet of elevation against schools and individuals of all levels. From fellow NJCAA schools, to four year universities, all the way to professional runners, the Comets kicked off the season in what might be their most competitive race of the season. Damon Clark was CCC’s top runner finishing in a time of 29:28 of the 4.5 mile distance. He was followed by teammates Kevin Pawesiema Jr., Tristyn Hatch, and Mauricio Gonzalez. Freshman Damon Attakai did not compete but will be in uniform for the next competition. Northern Arizona University, the 2021 NCAA National Champions, won the meet with a perfect team score of 15. Other schools in attendance included University of Arizona, Grand Canyon University, Utah Tech, Fort Lewis College, Embry-Riddle University, Mesa Community College, Pima Community College, Central Arizona College, and Phoenix College. Coconino Community College will be in action next on September 10th at Central Arizona College for the Vaquero CAMPY Invitational.