General 11/14/2026 5:43:00 PM

Blinn women 14th, men 15th at NJCAA Division I National Championships

Mehria Rashidi, Ryan Fernandez lead Buccaneers with program-best individual finishes

General 11/14/2026 5:43:00 PM

Blinn women 14th, men 15th at NJCAA Division I National Championships

Mehria Rashidi, Ryan Fernandez lead Buccaneers with program-best individual finishes

Blinn College men's and women's cross country competed Saturday at the NJCAA Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships in Huntsville, Ala.

The Bucs women placed 14th out of 25 teams, while the men finished 15th out of 23 teams. Freshman Mehria Rashidi and sophomore Ryan Fernandez paced Blinn with program-best individual finishes at the national championships.

"We didn't come away with the final outcome we were aiming for, but the ladies came in focused and put their best effort into reaching their goal," Blinn head coach Jesse Parker said of the women's performance.

The Bucs women entered the national championship race with hopes of finishing among the top 12 teams, with an outside chance of breaking into the top 10.

The Bucs got off to an aggressive start, positioning themselves 10th at the 2-kilometer split. However, Blinn surrendered several places over the final 3 kilometers and ultimately finished 14th.

Rashidi led the Bucs, placing 45th out of 163 finishers. Her performance marked the highest individual finish by a Blinn female runner at the national championships and came after the team placed 18th at last year's championship meet.

The Blinn men finished 15th after entering the championship with hopes of earning a top-10 team finish.

The Bucs were positioned 11th at the 3-kilometer mark but struggled over the final 4 kilometers. Midrace difficulties, including one of the team's top runners being unable to finish and another recording his lowest finish of the season, contributed to Blinn's slide in the team standings.

Fernandez paced the Bucs, finishing 44th out of 161 runners. His performance marked the highest individual finish by a Blinn male runner since the program was restarted three years ago.

Blinn will conclude its national championship competition Tuesday morning at the NJCAA Division I Men's and Women's Half-Marathon Championships.

The Bucs men finished 10th and the women placed 13th at last year's half-marathon championships. Blinn will look to improve upon both finishes.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 53 national championships since 1987.

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Players Mentioned

Ryan Fernandez: Sophomore

Mehria Rashidi: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Ryan Fernandez
: Sophomore

Mehria Rashidi
: Freshman