Texans Defend NJCAA Half Marathon Title in Dominant Fashion

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - ­ The South Plains College Texans successfully defended the NJCAA half marathon championship they won last year behind the returning sophomores who powered them to the title last year.

The Texans won the title last year behind the All-America performances of Tallam Kipruto,
Anthony Pequeno and Mitchell Driver. Those three returned this year and
finished second, fourth and fifth, again earning All-American while leading SPC to another dominating performance.

Kipruto finished the course that wove through Shawnee Mission Park and Mill
Creek Streamway Park in 1:08:37.5. Pequeno finished in 1:10:30.2 and
Driver's time was close behind at 1:10:44.4.

Robert Castanon (1:14:42.9) and Tomilee Lloyd (1:20:01.4) also competed in the championship event, crossing the line 14^th and 40^th, respectively.

South Plains posted a team score of 11 points, 16 points better than the
runner-up finisher, Johnson County Community College, host of the
championship.

The Lady Texans finished seventh in the team scoring with Paulina Wilson leading the way with a 15^th place finish. Wilson crossed the line with a time of 1:31:28.2. Crystal Dickinson was the next Lady Texan to complete the course as she finished in 20^th place with a time of 1:33:10.5 and Shayla Contreras rounded out the scoring for SPC with a 25^th place finish and a time of 1:36:57.8.

Kadian Dunkley (1:38.29.1) and Lorianne Pattee (1:51:33.5) also competed, crossing the line in 29^th and 45^th place.

The NJCAA half-marathon championships conclude the fall cross country season for the Texans and Lady Texans. The SPC long distance runners will return to action in January when the track season begins.