IOLA, Kan. (Oct. 27, 2023) - Fort Scott Men's & Women's Cross Country competed at the 2023 NJCAA Region VI/KJCCC Championships in Iola on Friday morning. True freshman Eduardo Espinoza led the men with a mark of 30:10 in the 8K championship race. On the women's end Rio Kirven crossed the line first for the Hounds, as she has done all season, coming in at 22:37 for her second top-50 finish of the year.

Freshman Yahir Morales and sophomore mid distance transfer Fabian Campbell with marks of 32:02 and 32:03, respectively.

"Collectively the men that ran all PR'd," added Ward-La Salle. "Eddy impressed me with his racing skills and emotional control. Yahir and Fabian ran together and I think it kept them both on a moderate pace to get an average mark that's pretty good for two 800 runners."

For the women sophomores Aliyaha Heron and Jacqui Angel-Ruiz added to Kirven's effort posting 23:22 and 23:54, respectively. Both runners recorded their top times of the year.

"This was a tough season," commented head XC coach McKinley Ward-La Salle. "We grew a lot as a group and individually throughout the year".