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Butler Community College Athletics

Cross Country Duo Both Named KJCCC, NJCAA Runners of the Week

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After two big time performances at the Missouri Southern Stampede last Saturday, the Butler cross country freshmen duo of Emmanuel Otim and Elizabeth Hernandez were named both the KJCCC Runners of the Week and the NJCAA Runners of the Week.

Cross Country Duo Both Named KJCCC, NJCAA Runners of the Week
September 24, 2024

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After two big time performances at the Missouri Southern Stampede last Saturday, the Butler cross country freshmen duo of Emmanuel Otim and Elizabeth Hernandez were named both the KJCCC Runners of the Week and the NJCAA Runners of the Week.

Hernandez (Tlaxcala, Mexico) finished eighth out of 182 runners at the Missouri Southern Stampede, coming in as the third highest NJCAA finisher and top KJCCC finisher. Hernandez's time of 18:24.03 was the best mark a Butler women's cross-country runner has ever achieved at the Missouri Southern Stampede. She helped the Grizzlies to a seventh-place team finish which was best among KJCCC schools and second best among NJCAA runners. Her finish was a personal best this season.

Otim (Kikube, Uganda) took first at the Missouri Southern Stampede, his second individual title of the season as he helped Butler win its second men's team title of the year. Otim ran the men's 8K race in 24:33.49, placing first out of 179 runners. His win marks the third straight year a Grizzly on the men's side has won the individual title at the Missouri Southern Stampede.

The Grizzlies are set to compete at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival in Fayetteville, Ark, on Saturday.