NMJC (W-T&F) Prepares for the 2026 NJCAA Indoor Nationals
The T-Bird women's track & field team travels to Topeka, Kan., March 6-7 for the 2026 NJCAA Indoor T&F Championships at the Sneed Indoor Athletic Facility.
NMJC last competed at Washburn University in 2023 where they won the NJCAA Women's Indoor T&F Championship for the first time since 2020.
The Thunderbirds are No. 2 in the USTFCCCA Track & Field Women's Rating Index as they enter nationals.
The T-Birds have 20 athletes and two relay teams competing on Friday and Saturday.
"Going into NJCAA indoor nationals, our women are excited to fight for a podium finish," NMJC women's track & field head coach Kathleen Raske said. "Our goal was to develop our competitive mindset and skills throughout the indoor season and earn the position to be able to fight as a team for the podium."
The below times are adjusted for altitude and are not raw times. A tidbit for Thunderbirds fans to know is that NMJC is only able to enter three athletes per event. All-American status is for the top 8 finishers.
The NMJC women's track side is led by distance runner Yididiya Bifa and sprinter Gabriela Anahi Suarez.
Bifa is loaded up this week running the 1000m, mile, and 3000m. The sophomore is No. 1 in the NJCAA in the 1000m this season with a 2:47.61. The Addis Ababa, Ethiopia native is No. 7 in junior college for the mile with a time of 4:55.31. She is sixth nationally in the 3000m after recording a 9:53.94 in the race.
Two-time Olympian Gabriela Anahi Suarez set a school record in the 60m this season with a 7.30 finish. The time is No. 2 in the NJCAA headed into the first race Friday. She is looking to complete the double this weekend as she also holds the school record in the 200m after running a 23.40. The finish is also No. 2 in the NJCAA for the event.
Amal Kachouri is back in form entering indoor nationals this year. Kachouri is ranked No. 5 in the mile following a 4:55.15 earlier this season. She was an All-American in the mile with a sixth-place finish of 5:09.13 at nationals in 2025. The sophomore ran a 2:15.47 in the 800m this year to rank No. 10 in the NJCAA for the event. Kachouri finished the 800m in sixth place with a time of 2:14.62 at nationals in 2025.
Motlatsi Rante will race at nationals for the first time in her career. The freshman ran a 55.63 in the 400m to rank No. 8 in the NJCAA.
Distance runner Ines Mrabet qualified for nationals in the 5000m with a time of 17:34.41 (NJCAA No. 8). She also made nationals in the 3000m with a finish of 10:21.76 (NJCAA No. 19).
Nalicia Glen is set to race in the 200m this week with her best finish being a 24.48. She falls into the No. 13 slot in the NJCAA.
Sprinter Felicia Awudi comes in at No. 14 in the 60m with a 7.52 finish (NJCAA No. 14).
Hajar Eddaou is the other T-Bird competing in the 60m. The freshman's top time is a 7.57 which ranks No. 18 in the NJCAA.
Sophomore Tuwana McLean will focus on the 200m this week. McLean's time of 24.54 is ranked No. 18 in junior college.
Charissa December will race in the 600m in Topeka. The freshman recorded a 1:36.49 to qualify for nationals and is ranked No. 19 in the event for JUCO.
Distance runner Lisel Ndlovu qualified in the 5000m and the 3000m. The sophomore ran an 18:41.56 in the 5000m (NJCAA No. 21) and a 10:38.18 in the 3000m (NJCAA No. 35).
Tiana Petrova is the top field athlete for NMJC this week.
The sophomore high jumper cleared 1.68m this year to rank herself No. 2 in the NJCAA for the event. Petrova is looking to repeat in the high jump after winning the 2025 championship with a clearance of 1.75m at the Texas Tech Sports Performance Center.
Tatiana Bedoya is ranked No. 4 in junior college for the pole vault. The freshman vaulted 3.61m this season.
Athilia Pryce is qualified in the weight throw and the shot put. Pryce threw 17.48m in the weight to rank No. 4 in the NJCAA. The sophomore thrower placed seventh at nationals in 2025 with a toss of 15.63m in the weight. The Jamaican is ranked No. 15 in the shot put with a throw of 12.39m.
Fatima Chefaig is the lone multi for the T-Birds on the women's side. The freshman scored 3138 points in the pentathlon earlier this season to rank No. 5 in the NJCAA.
The T-Birds have a pair of high ranked triple jumpers. Jastin Guzman is No. 6 in the triple jump with an 11.96m leap. Sofia Mosquera Rodriquez is one spot behind at No. 7 in the triple with a jump of 11.91m.
Gabriella Tcheukam makes her nationals debut in the weight throw. The freshman's toss of 15.69m ranks No. 11 in the NJCAA.
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.
Janita Antipina will white card in the triple jump. In 2025, Antipina triple jumped her way to seventh place at nationals in 2025 with a leap of 11.79m.
Sofia Mosquera Rodriquez and Jastin Guzman were both white carded in long jump this week.
The distance medley relay team of Yididiya Bifa, Tuwana McLean, Elsa Gueret, and Amal Kachouri will start Friday off as the first straight final of the meet. The quartet previously recorded a 12:26.35 finish in the DMR (NJCAA No. 9).
The T-Birds return Kachouri to the distance medley relay team that broke the DMR school record in 2025. The team ran an 11:47.42 to finish as national champions in Lubbock.
The mile relay squad of Charissa December, Gabriela Anahi Suarez, Motlatsi Rante, Tuwana McLean and subs Nalicia Glen + Fatima Chefaig ran a 3:43.99 in the 4x400m. The finish tops the junior college ranks at No. 1.
Tuwana McLean is the only returning member of the All-American mile relay team that finished in sixth place with a time of 3:44.43 during the 2025 national meet.
"We are ready and have the talent, but we need each athlete to do what they are capable of this season, compete hard and fight for every point," Coach Raske said. "If we do that, we can be proud of those efforts! If we fire on all cylinders, I like our chances, but it will take a total team effort to get it done!"
Friday features six finals between pole vault, shot put, long jump, pentathlon, DMR, and the 5000m.
The meet on Day 1 will start with the pentathlon at 9 a.m. CST and end with the 1000m around 8 p.m. CST. Day 2 starts with the high jump at 10:30 a.m. CST and ends with the 4x400m relay around 4:30 p.m. CST.
For the live results/schedule click here and for the livestream of the events click here.
