The Allen Community College men’s and women’s cross country teams finished the NJCAA National Championship in sixth and 12th place, respectively, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Saturday.
The Red Devils, who ran an 8k race, were led by Pedro Montoya. The sophomore earned a 13th-place finish with a time of 25:40.12.
As one of the top-15 overall runners in the national meet, Montoya was Allen’s lone All-American this season.
Before Saturday’s race, Montoya was battling flu-like symptoms, but both he and coach Vince DeGrado agreed he was healthy enough to travel and compete.
Ricardo Banuelos, also a sophomore, was the Red Devils’ only other top-25 finisher. He placed 22nd overall with a time of 26:05.45.
Allen, which finished with a team score of 159, beat out 33 other teams including last year’s champion in El Paso Community College.
Iowa Central took home the men’s title with a total of 56 points.
On the women’s side, the Lady Red Devils finished their 5k race in 12th place as a team out of 42 squads.
Before the season, DeGrado expressed that he was thankful to simply field a team after not having enough runners to compete as a squad in 2014. So when the small group took home its first conference championship and earned a spot in the NJCAA National Championship, it had already exceeded expectations.
Allen recorded a team score of 371. Kaitlyn Shoemaker, the Lady Red Devils’ top runner, finished in 21st place with a time of 19:12.46.
“Proud of them all this season,” DeGrado said of both the men’s and women’s teams. “Just have to keep grinding.”
Allen’s last event of the season will be the NJCAA Half-Marathon Classic in Levelland, Texas, on Saturday.
MEN:
13. Pedro Montoya — 25:40.12
22. Ricardo Banuelos — 26:05.45
31. Ben Najman — 26:25.85
47. Philip Lagemann — 26:49.70
54. Obed Quintana — 27:02.08
71. Meshach Adams — 27:19.32
78. Jeremy Brittain — 27:29.22
WOMEN:
21. Kaitlyn Shoemaker — 19:12.46
39. Kristina Silvers — 19:40.67
64. Taylor Jameson — 20:15.70
66. Vicky Ibarra — 20:17.99
224. Asha Alvarez — 22:30.57
