EPCC Women’s Cross Country Team Rises to No. 4 National Ranking

El Paso Community College’s women’s cross country team moved up to No. 4 in the 2026 National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 rankings after a strong performance at the 38th annual Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

EPCC competed Saturday, Oct. 3, in the women’s collegiate “Harter’s Habanero” 5K at Agri Park, hosted by the University of Arkansas. The team finished 19th overall among 29 teams and was the top junior college at the meet. EPCC is tied at No. 4 with Odessa College.

Sophomore Nhamoinesu “Tadi” Mabvuka placed 46th overall with a time of 17:39. She improved on her previous time of 18:13 at the Lori Fitzgerald Invitational in El Paso three weeks earlier and earned NJCAA Division 1 athlete of the week honors. Freshman Carren Jeruto finished 100th in 18:23, lowering her previous best by 20 seconds.

The EPCC men’s team competed in the collegiate “McDonnel Memorial” 8K and finished 23rd overall. Sophomore Joel Barros led the team by placing 13th in 24:38, while freshman Erick Gutierrez Estrada finished 118th in 26:29. The men are ranked No. 14 in NJCAA Division 1.

The Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival attracts 6,500 runners and 7,000 spectators over its weekend of community, junior high school, high school, college and elite Division 1 races. Proceeds support public high school cross country programs in four Northwest Arkansas counties, with more than $1 million distributed to those programs.

EPCC will compete next at the New Mexico Junior College Thunderbird Open in Hobbs, New Mexico, on Oct. 16. The Region V Championships will follow Oct. 30 in Hobbs. The top two spots will earn automatic qualification to the NJCAA National Championships in Huntsville, Alabama, Nov. 14-17.

More information is available on the EPCC Cross Country teams.