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Highland Men Complete Record-Setting Cross Country Season
published November 18, 2014
Highland Men Complete Record-Setting Cross Country Season
The Highland Community College men’s cross country team completed their record-setting season with the highest NJCAA Division I National Meet finish in the College’s history by placing 14th in the 48 team field. Sophomore Brian Martinez (Pasadena, TX) finished in 31st place and earned his second Cross Country All-American Honor. Martinez was followed by teammates Ronnie Carroll (Smyna, DE) in 73rd, Rey Quinones-Velez (Clermont, FL) in 94th, Fernando Lucero (Rio Rancho, NM) in 137th, Christian Salazar (San Antonio, TX) in 138th, Derrick Zaldivar (Topeka) in 154th, and Coner Reed (Dadeville, AL) in 198th. The NJCAA Division I cross country meet is a combination of the best Division I teams and the best Division II teams all put into one large race.
The 2014 edition of the cross country program saw several HCC institutional records fall. Martinez broke the individual school record time (25:21) and has established himself as one of the most successful distance runners to ever wear a Highland uniform. The entire team ran the fastest combined team time ever (26:10). This year’s team also had the highest Conference and Regional finish. The men finished the season the right way by breaking the latest record of highest national finish. This team also held the distinction of being nationally ranked in every weekly National poll.
Coach Chad Clevenger reflected on the season: “We had a tremendous season, put in a ton of miles, and a lot of work. We wanted to represent the College and the community with a team we all can be proud of. I want to thank our hard working coaching staff for their efforts. I also want to thank all the people who supported us along the way. Things like being stopped on a run 10 miles off campus by a community member who wanted to congratulate us, or notes from co-workers is quite was an honor, and is much appreciated! We are proud of the direction of our distance program, and look to build off that success in our recruiting season and upcoming track seasons.”
