Badger cross country joins elite company at NJCAA Cross Country Championships
A pair of record-setting performances by the Badgers’ pack leaders and strong showings from each team’s scoring lineup propelled Amarillo College to an emphatic ending to the 2025 campaign.
AC became one of 10 programs at the NJCAA D-I level to finish in the top 20 across four contested races at the NJCAA Cross Country Championships in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
In snowy conditions at the Lakeside Municipal Golf Course on Nov. 8, the Lady Badgers placed 19th in the women’s 5K race and the AC men finished 18th– three spots higher than their national ranking heading into the meet -- in the men’s 8K.
“From one to five for each team, I thought we performed well and overcame less-than-ideal conditions,” AC head coach Sean Hargrove said. “The depth of each team improved this year, and that showed during each race at nationals.”
Amarillo native Mallory Moore paced the AC women for the second consecutive season, placing 62nd in the women’s 5K race in a field of 177 competitors with a time of 20 minutes 36 seconds.
Dumas High School alum Mia Lujan crossed the finish line in 90th place (21:08), and Herford native Ellianna Rohm took 95th (21:26).
Lylianah Flores (98th place) and Mia Regalado (130th place) rounded out the Lady Badgers’ scoring.
Tascosa High School product Lane Kenney led the men’s team in both races at nationals for the second straight year. The sophomore placed 75th (27:34) in a field of 210 runners, and freshman Adrian Rosales was second on the team with a 95th-place finish (27:54).
Dumas native Noah Williams crossed the finish line in 28:23, good enough for 112th place. Canyon High School alum Aaryan Katwal-Shaver placed 128th (28:47) and sophomore Brian Corona – a former high school teammate of Williams – took 129th.
Half-marathon records rewrote by Badger sophomores
In their final race as Badgers, Lujan and Kenney cemented their legacies in storybook fashion.
The second-year Badgers rewrote their own half-marathon records, leading their units to top-17 finishes.
Kenney broke his 13.1-mile record by over a minute and placed 28th in a field of 196 runners. Kenney finished the half-marathon in 1 hour 10 minutes 49 seconds to top his previous career-best mark (1:12:21).
Kenney led the Badger men to a 17th-place finish in a 32-team field.
Smith took second on the team by placing 87th (1:17:03), and Adrian Rosales took 101st (1:17:54). The freshmen etched their names in the AC record book with the performances.
The times were the fourth and fifth-fastest half-marathon marks in team history.
Lujan placed 36th in a field of 131 competitors and shaved 3 minutes 42 seconds off her freshman record with a time of 1:30:32.
The sophomore led the Lady Badgers to a 14th-place finish in a 22-team field.
Rohm clocked the fourth-fastest half-marathon time (1:35:57) and placed 66th to finish second for the Lady Badgers.
Regalado ended her run at AC with a time of 1:40:47, good enough for 82nd place.
The following are the complete results from both races for the Amarillo College cross country teams.
AC Women 5K – 19th Place
66. Mallory Moore – 20:36
90. Mia Lujan – 21:08
95. Ellianna Rohm – 21:26
98. Lylianah Flores – 21:33
130. Mia Regalado – 22:35
145. Daisy Rangel – 23:21
158. Savannah Belcher – 24:08
AC Women Half Marathon – 14th Place
36. Mia Lujan – 1:30:32
66. Ellianna Rohm – 1:35:57
82. Mia Regalado – 1:40:47
AC Men 8K – 18th Place
75. Lane Kenney – 27:34
95. Adrian Rosales – 27:54
112. Noah Williams – 28:23
128. Aaryan Katwal-Shaver – 28:47
129. Brian Corona – 28:48
152. Dayson Smith – 29:23
167. Jackson Knapp – 29:49
AC Men Half Marathon – 17th Place
28. Lane Kenney – 1:10:49
87. Dayson Smith – 1:17:03
101. Adrian Rosales – 1:17:54
117. Aaryan Katwal-Shaver – 1:19:24
121. Noah Williams – 1:19:49
151. Brian Corona – 1:22:58
173. Jackson Knapp – 1:27:18