Women's Cross Country captures NJCAA Region I Championship

Friday October 25, 2024 - 9:00 p.m. | Dylan DeVlieger

Mesa Women's Cross Country captured their third NJCAA Region I Championship in four years on Friday.

Mesa took down defending champion Paradise Valley, defeating the Pumas by two points in the race. MCC was led by Regina Raimo who took 2nd (19:04.2), Kinley Jackson finished 4th (19:23.8), Marissa Hernandez took 6th (19:58.9), Katie Munoz finished 7th (20:06.2), and Carmella Baldwin finished 8th (20:06.9).

Mesa took a conservative approach to the start of the race, pacing themselves throughout before making a strong push late to collect top finishing positions. Sophomore Regina Raimo was the standout runner for MCC as she had her best finish of the season and ran a personal season best time.

"Regina took charge late in the race and finished 2nd overall! Her teammates were all close behind which resulted in a well deserved regional championship," said assistant coach Mitchell Briggs.

Briggs and staff hope that the momentum earned in the Regional race can carry over to Nationals on Nov. 9 in Richmond, VA.

"They ran an inspiring race that will hopefully bring a lot of positive momentum to the national meet in two weeks! It is a special group of women to work with," said Briggs, "coach Dan, Spencer and I are looking forward to watching their hard work be showcased at nationals!"

Click here to view the entire results.