Cardinals Win NJCAA Region 20 Cross Country Team Title

Youngwood, PA - October 28, 2023

After almost two decades of absence of cross country at CCBC Catonsville, Head Coach Mark Pryor's goal of bringing the team back to its successful days of the past has arrived. Since his hiring as head coach in 2016, Coach Pryor has enjoyed individual success in his student-athletes performing on a high level qualifying and competing at the National Championships. But in those 6 years, the team results have been difficult to find success. For a team to win in cross country, three things must be achieved on that day of competition:

• Five - Seven (5-7) runners that form a team must cross the finish line in an 8-kilometer race
• Each runner on a team receives the points that correspond to their finish place
• The team receiving the lowest score wins

On Saturday at Westmoreland County Community College, the CCBC Catonsville men's cross-country team had 5 athletes to form a team. In the past, it had been difficult to field a full team, but the recruiting efforts in the past two years finally found the Cardinals team looking like real contenders.  The athletes all ran well and were victorious in winning the 2023 NJCAA Region 20 team championship.  It was a culmination of a lot of effort that Coach Pryor hopes his program can continue.

Sophomore Keynaud Randolph has been the best distance runner since he stepped foot on the Catonsville campus. His performances in high school were not noteworthy, but Coach Pryor saw a lot of untapped potential. The carefully structured distance training program has helped Randolph become a front running seasoned athlete on the junior college level. On Saturday, Randolph did not disappoint and led the 5-mile race for 4 miles. He was ultimately passed by only one other athlete and finished in 2^nd place overall with a new personal best of 28:32.3.  Coach Pryor credited Randolph, not only for his hard work in training to enjoy such great improvements but also for motivating his teammates and showing them first-hand what happens when you follow the program here at CCBC Catonsville. The transition from high school to college is often difficult. But Randolph has remained focused and determined. He is excited about another opportunity to compete at the NJCAA National cross-country Championships as he did in 2022.

What happened next after Randolph crossed the finish line is what Coach Pryor had hoped for since the season began.  Seeing Randolph leading the race and competing motivated his teammates and enabled them to run at their highest level.  The key to success in cross-country is have a strong "pack" or group of athletes on the same team running together. It enables the team score to not be offset or affected by other competitors. That's exactly what CCBC Catonsville's team achieved.......a strong pack that was undeterred by the other teams.

Coach Pryor was excited as he watched the race unfold and saw 4 of his 5 athletes all running and battling together. As they crossed the finish line, it was apparent that something good was happening in the team scoring. Four finishers all in the Top 10, which usually secures a team victory.

2^nd place - Keynaud Randolph (CCBC Catonsville)  28:32.3*

6^th place - Ronak Rami (Fr - CCBC Catonsville) 31:07.0*

7^th place - Gamaliel Adejo (Fr - CCBC Catonsville) 31:17.2*

9^th place - Ethan Bush (So - CCBC Catonsville) 31:34.8

*Personal Best

The team's final score would come down to their 5^th and final runner to cross the finish line.  All season, Coach Pryor had been searching for an answer to that question of who could help his team as their 5^th man. Before the season started, the cross-country team was scheduled to have 6 athletes but two failed to show up for pre-season training on August 1st. Coach Pryor looked within his group of other freshmen who were not distance runners but had been training since August 1st. The best of those was Ralph Petion from Milford Mill HS.  Petion accepted the challenge of helping his teammates in need of a 5^th man to score as a team. He trained with them and understood the importance of pack running as well as his role as a scoring member. Throughout the race, coaches and teammates yelled encouragement to Petion to hold his pace and place for the 5-mile course.  Entering into the 4^th mile with only 1 mile remaining, Petion began to rally and separate himself. As he crossed the finish line, Coach Pryor was both nervous and optimistic. Had his top 4 runners did enough upfront to offset the finish of their 5^th man and was that 5^th man's place low enough to help the team scoring.  The official results were as follows:

NJCAA Region 20 Cross Country Championship

October 28, 2023

Westmoreland County Community College Youngwood, PA 15697

The team celebrated their victory, holding high the Region 20 Champion trophy and congratulating each other for all the hardwork they put in to achieve these results. Keynaud Randolph once again enjoyed an excellent race in the Region 20 Champs as he was 3^rd as a freshman and improved this year to the runner-up position. Personal bests times were run which marked the testament of each athlete's ability to focus when needed. It is all the things Coach Pryor could have hoped for since this season started on August 1st.

With this win, the team now advances to the 2023 NJCAA National Cross Country Championships on November 11^th in Huntsville Alabama. This will mark the first time in over 20 years that CCBC Catonsville has qualified a team for cross-country nationals. 

GO CARDINALS!!!!!!!  #JUCOproduct