Any chances of the EPCC Tejanas doing well at the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Cross Country Championship appeared all but lost when their top two runners stumbled and fell at the start of the race.
But thanks to a quick recovery by Gaby Ramos and Sandy Gueta, along with surprisingly good showings by Crystal Chuca and Melissa Zepeda, the Tejanas kept their composure and shocked the field by finishing third in the national race.
The Tejanas were ranked eighth going into the 33-team race, which was hosted by Rend Lake College in Ina, Illinois.
“They were just awesome,” said coach Felix Hinojosa. “We overcame adversity at the start of the race with the fall, but the other runners picked up the slack like they were supposed to.”
One of the runners involved in the fall echoed her coach’s sentiments.
“I am really proud of the team,” said Ramos, the team’s top-ranked runner. “I was supposed to come in first for the team but I fell down at the beginning of the race. That proved to me how much potential each and every single one of my teammates has.”
The fall at the race’s start could very well have cost EPCC a second-place finish.
The Tejanas (150 points) finished just five points behind runner-up, Butler County. Iowa Central won the team competition with a score of 111.
“The girls not only represented EPCC, but because they’re all from here, they represented the entire city of El Paso,” said coach Felix Hinojosa. “I wasn’t surprised at how well we did. We don’t listen to rankings. There are too many variables involved. The girls didn’t listen to where they were supposed to finish.”
The biggest surprise for the Tejanas came from Crystal Chuca, who led the team by finishing 24th individually with a time of 18:36.
“I am still excited,” said Chuca. “I keep talking about it and thinking about it. We proved everyone wrong.”
Finishing a second behind Chuca in 25th place was teammate Melissa Zepeda.
“Nobody expected us to do so well at Nationals. Even at conference we beat the number-two ranked team in the nation,” said Zepeda.
“Almost every team has foreign runners, but we’re all from El Paso.”
Rounding out the Tejanas’ effort was Ramos (finished 32nd with a time of 18:44), Paola Rodriguez (35th, 18:52), Gueta (43rd, 19:01), Ana Navar (94th, 20:00) and Ambrosia Coltrane (191st, 22:07).
“I know I could’ve done a lot better but I’m not disappointed in myself,” said Rodriguez.
“It’s all about the team, I helped the girls and they helped me. I think in this race I learned what teamwork
really means.”
For their effort, Chuca, Zepeda and Ramos each earned All-American honors from the National Junior College Cross Country Coaches Association.
This is the second consecutive successful showing for coach Felix Hinojosa and his women’s team, which
finished ninth in the country a year ago.
“Felix Hinojosa does a great job with the students, both working with them as athletes and academically. He’s passionate about student success,” said EPCC President Richard Rhodes of the Tejanas. “They’re an incredible group of students who represent us well. They are not only good athletes, but very good students and make EPCC look great.”
EPCC outdistanced conference rival South Plains, which finished tied for fourth place with Central Arizona (166 points).
Though the men didn’t fare as well, EPCC’s Robert Menjo earned NJCAA All-American honors by finishing ninth individually with a time of 24:33.
Finishing as the top runner on the third best women’s cross country team in the United States might be enough for some, but not for the EPCC freshman.
“I think we will do as good or better next year,” said Chuca.
