MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia — The Central Carolina Community College men’s and women’s cross country teams participated in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III National Championship last Saturday at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Georgia.
Britt Lehman (Jordan-Matthews H.S., Siler City) led the men’s team, finishing 30th out of 140 runners. Kyle Howarth (Woods Charter School, Mebane; 49th), Gabriel Lenz (Lee Christian School, Sanford; 103rd) and Colby Day (Cape Hatteras Secondary School, Frisco; 120th) also competed for the Cougars’ men’s team.
Bersai Perez (Lee County H.S., Sanford) paced the women’s team, finishing 55th out of 90 runners. Kimberly Castro Vasquez (Harnett Central H.S., Lillington; 82nd), Emilie Obregon (Triton H.S., Dunn; 83rd) and Angelika Adriano (Pinecrest H.S., Aberdeen; 90th) also competed for the Cougars’ women’s team.
Both CCCC teams won the NJCAA Division III Region X championships under the direction of Coach Richard Briggs.
“After winning regionals, going to nationals is like icing on the cake,” said Briggs. “I want my men and women to enjoy the experience and years from now know that they did something special.”
Lehman has led the CCCC men’s team and won the Region 10 Runner of the Year honors.
“Britt has a passion for running and doesn’t let anything get in his way,” said Briggs. “He’s a full-time student with a full-time job, manages to train and always brings it when it’s time for competition.”
Lehman became interested in cross country as a high school freshman. “I enjoy the fact that it gives me a rush, it’s like my adrenaline just shoots up,” Lehman said of his enjoyment of cross country. “It gives me a push to work on myself to be a better athlete. When I’m running, any stress or bitterness is taken away when I’m running. It gives me freedom.”
Lehman said he was honored to be a part of nationals and looked forward to the race.
“It’s the big stage! I love that feeling of competing with the best of the best,” said Lehman prior to the race. “As for the team, I’m extremely happy they are going to nationals. I feel as if they will make a huge impact at nationals and will bring home some hardware. We all have worked so hard for this moment.”
Other CCCC men’s team members were Howarth, Lenz, Jackson Cole (Grace Christian School, Sanford), Day and Eddy Giron Dominguez (Jordan-Matthews H.S., Siler City).
Perez has led the CCCC women’s team and won the Region 10 Runner of the Year honors.
“Bersai is amazing! She’s never participated in athletics before, but you would never know it,” said Briggs. “She’s a competitor who is always looking to improve. When it comes to the word tough, I think Bersai.”
Perez said she first became interested in cross country during the summer of 2021.
“Before this, I liked running for fun and to be stress free as well as to lose weight and I really wanted to join a sport that required running. That is when I heard about cross country and decided to give it a try,” she said.
How does she feel about participating in the NJCAA Division III National Championship?
“I think that this is a huge opportunity to get to go to a new place and experience something that I would have never known I would be a part of,” she said before the race. “As a team, I think that we are really strong and that we can do something great in the upcoming nationals.”
Other CCCC women’s team members are Vasquez, Obregon, Charmaine Robison (Lumberton H.S., Lumberton) and Adriano (Pinecrest H.S., Aberdeen).
To learn more about Central Carolina Community College, visit www.cccc.edu.