NMJC (W-Track) Prepares for Indoor Nationals  

The T-Bird women's track & field team will make a short trek across the state line to Lubbock, Texas March 7-8 for the 2025 NJCAA Indoor T&F Championships at the Texas Tech Sports Performance Center.

"Our women's team has journeyed through many months of preparation for the upcoming NJCAA indoor national championships," women's track & field head coach Kathleen Raske said. "This weekend represents where that preparation meets opportunity. An opportunity to battle for a team title and see how good we can be."

The road to nationals was far less travelled this year compared to the 2024 NJCAA Indoor T&F Championship in Gainesville. The Thunderbirds hold the No. 1 spot in the USTFCCCA Track & Field Women's Rating Index as they head into nationals. 

"We only get one meet each season where we get to score points collectively as a team and come together to battle for every point," Coach Raske said. "It's been very exciting to watch each of our women work hard to improve throughout the season and even more exciting to watch them compete at their best when it counts the most this weekend." 

The T-Birds have 25 athletes and three relay teams competing on Friday and Saturday. 

The below finishes are adjusted for altitude and are not raw times. A caveat for Thunderbirds fans to know is that NMJC is only able to enter three athletes per event.

The NMJC women's track side is led by middle distance runner Amal Kachouri. The Tunisian qualified for indoor nationals in the 800m, 1000m, and the mile. Kachouri's 800m time of 2:10.41 is No. 1 in the NJCAA for the event. The freshman ran a 2:25.26 in the 1000m where she sits at No. 2 in JUCO. Kachouri's third race is the mile which saw her run a 4:56.57 to rank No. 5 in the NJCAA.  

Nandy Kihuyu's second indoor nationals appearance will feature both the 400m and 200m. The Sheffield, England native is No. 2 in the NJCAA with a time of 54.54 in 400m and is No. 5 in JUCO in the 200m with a finish of 24.13.  

Sophomore Jody Ann Mitchell will race in the 600m after qualifying with a time of 1:33.09 (NJCAA No. 3).

Middle distance runner Emilly Silva qualified nationally for the 800m and the 1000m to earn her spot in Lubbock. The sophomore transfer's best finish in the 1000m this season is 2:57.26 which places her No. 4 in the NJCAA. Silva ran a 2:13.99 in the 800m to rank No. 6 in the NJCAA. 

Kamaria Knight looks to get back into the 60m final where she placed third last season. The sophomore sprinter's top time in the 60m is a 7.51 which ranks No. 11 in the NJCAA. Knight's 200m qualifying time is 24.31 and is No. 9 in JUCO for the event.

Distance runner Francesca Alvarado qualified for indoor nationals in the 3000m and the mile. Alvarado is No. 11 in the NJCAA in the 3000m with a time of 10:05.43 and is No. 19 in the mile with a finish of 5:09.65.   

Amari Pratt will participate in both the 60m and the 200 this weekend in Lubbock. The sophomore sprinter's 60m time of 7.58 comes in at No. 17 in JUCO and her 200m 24.65 run is No. 19 in junior college. 

Sophomore Tyfane Martins qualified for nationals in the 600m with a finish of 1:36.66 to rank No. 15 in the NJCAA.

Ines Mrabet is set to race in a pair of events. The distance runner will run in the 5000m after qualifying with a time of 17:48.27 to slide in at No. 19 in JUCO. She also races in the 3000m where the Tunisian is No. 22 in junior college with a 10:16.67 finish. 

Ysanne Peart will join her teammate Mitchell in the 600m. Peart ran a 1:38.35 in the event which ranks her No. 22 in the race. 

Freshman sprinter Tuwana McLean singular race is the 400m where she ran a 57.08 in the event to slot in at No. 24 in JUCO. Daphne Kausz will compete this week in the 800m after posting a time of 2:20.29 (NJCAA No. 26).

Jayne Elvin will race in the 1000m after recording a 3:06.58 to rank No. 26 in the NJCAA. Nalicia Glen is the third runner to compete in the 60m for the T-Birds. Glen's top time is a 7.67 (NJCAA No. 29). The final indoor track qualifier is Lisel Ndlovu in the 3000m. The freshman distance runner is No. 51 in the NJCAA with a time of 10:40.21.  

The NMJC field team is led by a duo of school record holders.

Tania Millena Ancelmo Da Silva is the defending national champion in the weight throw and is aiming to surpass the NJCAA record (20.91m) this weekend. The sophomore thrower is No. 1 in the NJCAA in the weight throw with a toss of 20.82m which is an NMJC school record.  

From one record holder to another we move to thrower and 2024 indoor shot put national runner-up Esteisy Salas-Lozano. The Colombian native will compete in the shot put and the weight throw at nationals. Salas-Lozano owns the school record in the shot put with a throw of 16.25m to put her atop the junior college rankings. The sophomore is NJCAA No. 6 in the weight throw with a 15.36m mark.   

Jumper Tiana Petrova leads junior college in the high jump with a leap of 1.70m and will look to earn an individual title Friday evening.  

Sofia Mosquera Rodriquez is looking to achieve All-American status for the long jump and the triple jump this week in Lubbock. Mosquera Rodriquez's triple jump is ranked No. 2 in the NJCAA with a leap of 12.35m. The Spaniard ranks No. 4 in the long jump with a mark of 5.84m.  

Sophomore Kavel Ritchie is hoping to earn All-American status in the long jump for the second straight year after claiming third with a jump of 5.93m. Ritchie currently ranks No. 8 in the long jump nationally with a leap of 5.78m and is No. 9 in JUCO in the triple with a jump of 11.67m.

The third jumper in the trio is Janita Antipina. The Latvia native ranks No. 8 in the NJCAA for the triple jump with a mark of 11.69m.

Athilia Pryce made it to nationals in the shot put and the weight throw. The freshman thrower is No. 11 in the NJCAA for the shot put with a toss of 13.03m and is in the NJCAA top 16 qualifiers in the weight throw with a mark of 14.93m.

Yosiris Cordoba is back at indoor nationals in the shot put for the second consecutive season. The sophomore thrower is No. 12 in the NJCAA for the event with a toss of 13.01m. 

There will be three white card entries from NMJC. The white card is essentially a wild card selection for an athlete who did not qualify for nationals and each team receives three entries to use. 

NMJC will use the white card on jumper Janita Antipina in the long jump, Chloe Jones in the 60mH, and Hadil Chiha in the 5000m. 

The T-Birds will compete in three relays in Lubbock. 

The first squad will compete in the distance medley relay and are ranked No. 1 with a time of 11:43.91 (Emilly SIlva, Ysanne Peart, Jody Ann Mitchell, Amal Kachouri …Tyfane Martins). 

In the second relay, the Thunderbirds are ranked No. 2 in the NJCAA for the 4x800m with a composite of 8:56.95 (Emilly Silva, Daphne Kausz, Tyfane Martins, Francesca Alvarado …Ysanne Peart, Jayne Elvin).

The Thunderbirds rank No. 2 in the NJCAA for the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:44.62 (Nandy Kihuyu, Kamaria Knight, Tuwana McLean, Jody Ann Mitchell …Ysanne Peart).

"We are poised to run after a team championship," Coach Raske said. "We have incredibly talented women, but it will not be easy. We need to fire on all cylinders and execute. If we do that, we will accomplish our goals both as a team and individually. I believe we are ready!"

The meet on Day 1 will start with the heptathlon at 9 a.m. CST and end with the 1000m around 8:20 p.m. CST. Day 2 starts with the heptathlon at 9:30 a.m. CST and ends with the 4x400m relay around 4:30 p.m. CST. 

For the full schedule click here, for live results click here, and for the livestream of the events click here.