Thunderbirds win fourth women's outdoor championship
Hobbs, NM - New Mexico JC captures the 2023 NJCAA DI Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship, its fourth in school history. The Reivers captured 130.5 points in the meet, holding a 29.5-point lead over second place.
After a second-place finish last year, the Thunderbirds held off Cloud County (KS) who finished in second with 101 points. Barton (KS), South Plains (TX), and defending champion Iowa Western rounded out the top-5. New Mexico brought home national champions in the Javelin, 400m, and 400 mH but was consistent throughout the weekend.
The Thunderbirds won the Indoor Championship in March and followed it with a strong team performance on their home turf in Hobbs.
Thunderbirds win their fourth national title
New Mexico capped off its outdoor season with an impressive performance. They had top-3 finishers in nine total events including three national champions and two top-3 finishers in the 10k.
Sophomore Deshana Skeete brought home the 400m dash and sophomore Calisha Taylor won the 400m hurdles. Freshman Anisha Gibbons was the third national champion in the javelin event, where they edged out second place by 0.02m.
Cloud County finished in second
The Thunderbirds follow a third-place finish last year by coming in as the runner-up in 2023. Cloud County had an impressive week, finishing with five national champions and twelve total top-3 finishers.
Sophomore Vanessa Mercera narrowly edged out defending heptathlon champion Antonia Sealy (Iowa Western) and claimed the title this year by 39 total points.
Distance runner Lucy Ndungu had a strong week, claiming the national championship in both the 10k and 5,000m.
Barton finishes third
Barton brought home the bronze trophy in Hobbs, after scoring in the top-3 in six events. The Wildcats finished within the top three in both men's and women's at this year's outdoor meet.
Kelsie Murrell-Ross' mark of 15.49m was able to claim the shot put championship, one of two for the Wildcats. The 4x100 team was able to claim the gold in their event. The 4x100m team featured Antiana Walsh, Oarabile Tshosa, Danae Nembhard, and Naiya Morgan
