The Blinn College men’s and women’s cross country teams enjoyed a successful run at the Old Glory Gallup hosted by Dallas Baptist University on Saturday in Dallas.
With more than 800 runners competing for a combined 87 teams across all three levels of NCAA competition, as well as the NAIA and NJCAA, the meet was the Buccaneers’ largest of the season, and Blinn made waves.
The Buccaneers placed 22nd out of 41 men’s teams, while the Blinn women took 34th in a field of 46 squads.
Blinn’s men’s team of sophomore Eric Lagat and freshmen Christian Gonzalez, Edward Rivera, Joseph Villegas, Michael Dudley, Fernando Garza, and Jack Riseman earned another notable achievement during the run, as they surpassed an NCAA Division I program for a second consecutive race.
Blinn finished above Prairie View A&M University on Saturday after out-running Louisiana Tech University during the Cowboy Stampede on Sept. 28, in Lake Charles, La.
“I was very proud of the men and how they competed today,” Bucs head coach Jesse Parker said. “Several of the athletes have been dealing with allergies and illnesses all week, and to get this type of performance without feeling 100 percent is encouraging.”
(Pictured: Blinn’s Eric Lagat competes in the Old Glory Gallup on Oct. 5, 2024)
Lagat was Blinn’s top finisher in a race that featured 400 competitors, as he finished the 8-kilometer course with a time of 26 minutes, 15 seconds and claimed 93rd place among team-affiliated runners.
“I wanted to run closer to the front today and started out well,” Lagat said. “Our training has been good and we feel confident.”
Gonzalez reached the finish line in 26:31 for 105th, Rivera was 120th in 26:53, Villegas was 144th with a time of 27:21, Dudley claimed 197th in 28:27, Garza had a time of 28:31 for 199th, and Riseman wrapped up the Bucs run with a time of 29:49 for 228th place.
Seven NJCAA teams competed in the men’s race, marking the first time this season that Blinn faced other junior college programs. The Bucs finished third among the seven JUCO teams.
“This was the men’s first opportunity to compete against other NJCAA programs and I feel like we passed our first test,” Parker added, “but we still have a lot of work to do before the end of the season to better this finish.”
On the women’s side, Blinn deployed its seven freshman runners in a 5K race of 420 participants.
(Pictured: Blinn’s Clare White competes in the Old Glory Gallup on Oct. 5, 2024)
Clare White posted a time of 19:56 as she finished 137th and ran a sub-20-minute race for the first time this fall.
“We talked a lot this past week about executing the first mile of the race in a way that would allow us to run strong over the final two miles and Clare did a great job of setting up her race,” Parker explained. “She ran the first mile only slightly faster than she did at the Cowboy Stampede, but did much better at sustaining the pace this week. Clare just seems to get stronger and stronger with each race.”
Following White to the finish line was Mia Guillen, (21:10 for 189th), Sophie Pyle (21:31 for 203rd), Savanna Thaw (21:51 for 215th), and Juliana Jeansonne (21:54 for 218th).
The Bucs placed fourth among seven NJCAA teams in the race.
“We had some good individual performances today,” Parker said. “Today’s race was a major milestone as we faced tough competitors in a large field. I’m proud of how we executed our strategy and showcased our hard work. Competing at this level reminded us that we belong among the best, and our performance reflected just how far we’ve come as a team. It was a great race that not only boosted our confidence, but also motivated us to build upon this performance moving forward.”
Blinn’s season continues at the Watson Cross Country Classic hosted by Mississippi College on Friday, Oct. 18, in Clinton, Miss.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 49 national championships since 1987.
