NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Behind an eighth-place performance from Alex Masai, the Monroe Mustangs men’s cross country team finished 14th out of 44 teams at the NJCAA National Championships on Saturday in frigid temperatures in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
The men’s 14th place finish was 16 spots better than their 2016 finish.
Masai’s eighth-place finish out of 300 total runners clocked in a time of 25:17.2, and is the highest individual finish in men’s program history at the NJCAA National Championship. His eighth-place finish also earned him All-American status.
Lizo Sibeko also had a very impressive showing, finishing 64th overall with a time of 26:49. James Majenge was close behind Sibeko, finishing 72nd with a time of 26:57.7.
Thapelo Makofane finished with a 27:14.5, placing 98th overall while Kasique Oliver finished fifth for Monroe with a time of 28:02.3. Rounding out the Mustangs’ team were Daniel Martin and Luis Nieves, who ran times of 30:10.0 and 30:54.0 respectively.
“Words can’t express how proud and happy I am of these young men,” Head Coach Shirvon Green said, “It was brutal out and definitely the toughest race we ran all year. Despite all the obstacles we faced these guys went out and gave it their best.”