NEW ORLEANS, La. – Gearing up for the final three-week stretch to the season, the Cloud County Community College track and field continue to find themselves holding down Top-10 spots in the latest United States Track and Field Cross County Coaches Association Top-25 polls.
The T-Bird men are ranked No. 1 for the third-straight week while the women come in this week ranked No. 6.
The poll, which was released on Wednesday saw the T-Bird men add two national top-10 marks to their haul this past weekend at the Emporia State Midwest Classic as Saba Khvichava (3,000 meter-steeplechase) and Edwin Kipainoi (10,000 meters) both ran their way into the top-10 of their respective events. As a team, CCCC scored 561.93 points on the men's side, holding off second-ranked Barton who makes the move from fourth to second with 554.64 points. Rounding out the top-five of this week's men's poll is New Mexico Junior College (551.31 points), South Plains College (550.35 points), and Iowa Central (514.11 points).
The women saw their ranking drop for the week from No. 5 to No. 6 despite raising their computer-generated team score from a week ago as the T-Birds scored 454.83 points this week and are the second-highest ranked Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference team. Leading the poll is New Mexico Junior College (610.46 points), South Plains College (583.96 points), and Barton (539.89 points) while Iowa Central (487.06 points) and Iowa Western (461.50 points) round out the top-five.
For the season, CCCC has 13 national top-10 marks including a trio of runners in the 400 meters as Leonie Beu (fifth), Isila Apkup (seventh) and Pamela Milano (ninth) all clocked big times at the beginning of the month at the Bethel College Loren Reusser Invitational. The Cloud County 4x400 meter relay team and 4x800 meter relay team hold down the top-times in the NJCAA while Marie Forbes ranks second in the discus and third in the shot put to also help the T-Birds towards their ranking.
A limited number of CCCC athletes are expected to compete this Saturday at the Tabor College Invitational down in Hillsboro. Whichever athletes do not compete this weekend will continue their preparations for next week's NJCAA Region VI/KJCCC Championships which will be hosted by Cowley Community College in Arkansas City.