NMJC (W-T&F) Finishes as the 2026 Indoor National Runner-up
The T-Bird women's track & field team finished national runner-up to Iowa Western Community College on Saturday, March 7 at the 2026 NJCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Topeka, Kan.
The T-Birds move up one spot this season after finishing 2025 indoors in third place.
The Thunderbirds concluded Day 2 with one relay national champion, one individual national champion, one relay All-American squad, and 11 more individual All-Americans on the final day of nationals.
Iowa Western CC won the team national title with a score of 111 points. The Thunderbirds were 22 points behind the Reivers with a team total of 89 points. Odessa College placed third with a team score of 62 points.
"We knew it was going to be tough to find an extra 20+ points with the team we had lined up on paper against Iowa Western, but if every athlete did what they were supposed to do, we would be in the hunt," NMJC women's track & field head coach Kathleen Raske said. "It's rarely a perfect meet for anyone; however, I think our women did a fantastic job and fought hard for every point to take the runner up trophy!"
NMJC finished the meet with one relay national champion, one individual national champion, two relay All-American squads, and 13 individual All-Americans.
Amal Kachouri achieved her elusive national title this week winning the 800m with a time of 2:09.63. Kachouri raised the bar at nationals running six seconds quicker than her 2026 season best. Earlier in the day, the Tunisian ran in the mile recording a sixth-place finish with a time of 4:54.77. The All-American scored 10 points in the 800m and three points in the mile on Saturday. She ends her indoor career with the T-Birds as a six-time All-American.
"I was excited to see Amal Kachouri finally get her 800m title that she has been wanting for so long," Coach Raske said. "The joy on her face when she crossed the line said it all. I know that the entire program was celebrating with her!"
The mile relay squad of Charissa December, Tuwana McLean, Gabriela Anahi Suarez, and Motlatsi Rante cemented its place as the top 4x400m team in the NJCAA with a national title in the final race of the weekend. The quartet of All-Americans ran a 3:42.98 to defeat Hinds CC by .16 seconds and score 10 points.
"I was thrilled with not only our 4x4 relay win, but more so, how they executed each of their individual legs and coming together as one team, giving each other their best effort and execution for the overall team. It was so fun to watch," Coach Raske said.
Yididiya Bifa was a workhorse all week for the T-Birds finishing with three individual All-American medals and one relay All-American medal.
Bifa ran a full slate of races Saturday afternoon at Washburn University. The sophomore was national runner-up in the mile with a time of 4:49.57. Bifa next raced in the 1000m where she was also national runner-up after running a school-record 2:49.73. The time broke the 2020 school record set by Flomena Asekol (2:50.78). The final race for Bifa this weekend was the 3000m. The Addis Ababa, Ethiopia native placed third with a finish of 9:40.99. Bifa accounted for 24 points at the national meet throughout her four races.
"I'm so proud of our team and extremely impressed with Yididiya Bifa, who scored 24 points for the team," Coach Raske said. "She raced with heart and put everything she had into each of the four events she raced! A new school record and lifetime bests showed she had done everything she could do and left it all on the track."
Gabriela Anahi Suarez broke her own school record in the 60m final with a national runner-up performance adding eight points to the team total. The freshman sprinter ran a 7.25 in the 60m to All-American honors. She became a two-time All-American after placing fourth in the 200m with a time of 23.73 and earning five points.
"Sprinter Gabriela Anahi Suarez was outstanding in three events and gave the team valuable points," Coach Raske said. "She broke her own 60m school record, in a lifetime best, and set another new national record for her country of Ecuador. What was more impressive is that the 200m/4x4 races were only her 4th and 5th time ever racing on a 200m banked track. Keep an eye out for her outdoors!"
Motlatsi Rante ran a 54.85 in the 400m to finish national runner-up. The freshman All-American scored eight points for NMJC with the performance.
Tiana Petrova led the field side with her fourth-place finish in the high jump. The two-time All-American scored five points for NMJC with a clearance of 1.69m.
Athilia Pryce earned All-American status for the second straight year in the weight throw. The sophomore threw 17.24m to finish in fifth place, while adding four points to the team's score.
Jumper Jastin Guzman triple jumped 11.84m to finish in seventh place. The freshman earned All-American honors and added two points to the team score.
"I want to thank the entire staff, which includes all four coaches, two athletic trainers, our two bus drivers, our SID, and our AD for helping to make this accomplishment possible," Coach Raske said. "It takes a village to make it all work together and set them up for great performance and our entire team appreciates all that they do!"
The USTFCCCA Regional Awards were announced on Saturday with the Thunderbirds bringing home three trophies. Sprinter Gabriela Anahi Suarez was named Women's West Region Track Athlete of the Year and head coach Kathleen Raske earned Women's West Region Coach of the Year. Jeff Becker was named Women's West Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
For the final results click here. For Day 1 Recap click here.
