Texans Finish 5th, Lady Texans 6th at NJCAA Indoor National Championships

TOPEKA, KS - South Plains College delivered a strong showing at the national meet with multiple individual champions and relay teams reaching the podium across both the men's and women's competitions.

Jules Courel led the Texans with a national championship in the men's pole vault, clearing 5.28 meters to claim first place. On the women's side, Nour Rahou captured a national title in the 600 meters, winning the event in 1:29.71.

The Lady Texans added another runner-up finish in the women's triple jump, where Leticia Ouaba placed second with a mark of 12.38 meters. Violette Bray also earned a second-place finish in the pentathlon shot put, throwing 10.70 meters.

South Plains relay teams also produced strong finishes. The men's 4x400 relay team of Carlton Siwela, Elijah Joseph, Joshem Sylvester, and Aiden Kelly placed second with a time of 3:08.55. The women's 4x800 relay team of Nour Rahou, Morgane Lenoir, Alison Guaman, and Jennifer Lozano also finished second, clocking 7:35.27.

Additional podium finishes included Joshem Sylvester, who placed third in the men's 600 meters with a time of 1:17.96, and the women's 4x400 relay team of C. White, Morgane Lenoir, Cheffonia Houston, and Nour Rahou, who finished third in 3:46.39. In the field events, Kahllah Bailey earned a third-place finish in the women's shot put with a throw of 14.14 meters, while Adem Boualbani placed third in the men's triple jump with a mark of 15.85 meters. Morgane Lenoir also secured third place in the women's 600 meters, running 1:30.35.

Several Texans and Lady Texans added scoring performances throughout the meet. The men's 4x800 relay team of Demari Caldwell, Ylies Mihoubi, Abdirisak Saidgurhan, and Joshem Sylvester finished fourth in 7:35.27. Violette Bray placed fourth in the pentathlon 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.91, while Rashema Lindo finished fourth in the women's 60-meter hurdles in 8.64.

Additional top-eight finishes included Violette Bray (5th, pentathlon long jump – 5.05m), Ylies Mihoubi (5th, men's 5000m – 14:36.71; 5th, men's 3000m – 8:16.33), Jamison Lewis (5th, men's 60 hurdles – 7.99), Olga Lapuzova (6th, women's pole vault – 3.50m), Yassine Bounasri (6th, men's 1000m – 2:26.84), and Caleb Kelly (7th, men's 200m – 21.35).

Other scoring performances included Rachel Couderc (7th, women's high jump – 1.56m), Carlton Siwela (7th, men's 600m – 1:18.78), Dennis Cheruiyot (7th, men's 5000m – 14:43.19), Suerena Alexander (7th, women's shot put – 13.56m), and Jacorey Harrell (8th, men's long jump – 7.28m). The men's distance medley relay team of Abdirisak Saidgurhan, Ismael Risser, Demari Caldwell, and Tamer Sakar placed eighth in 9:59.68. Yassine Bounasri finished ninth in the men's 600 meters with a time of 1:21.56, and Violette Bray finished 10th overall in the pentathlon with 3027 points.

Following the meet, Head Coach Wes Miller reflected on the team's performance. "The meet was a stark contrast between the men and the women. I am so proud of how the women competed. They had many personal bests and gutsy performances. As a team they outperformed their projections and finished seven points outside of a trophy. I know they are hungry to get on the podium and improve outdoors, and I'm excited to see their growth. While the men had several good individual performances, ultimately we fell short on our goal and missed a good chance to win a team championship. We had multiple chances to take charge of the meet on both days and unfortunately did not. Now the focus is on making improvements for a better performance outdoors. I'm looking forward to seeing how they respond."

The Texans and Lady Texans will open the outdoor season March 20–21 when they host the West Texas Relays at South Plains College.