SANFORD — Central Carolina Community College is fielding its second cross country team this fall.
Richard Briggs, who formerly was an assistant coach at Fayetteville State University, serves as the CCCC cross country coach.
“I am looking for this season to be very productive,” said Briggs. “We have a great mix of student athletes, some who have never done cross country before and those who are quite familiar with the sport. The big picture is to help these young people achieve their academic goals, all while being a competitive cross country program.”
Two local student-athletes from Jordan-Matthews are on the Cougars squad in Eddy Dominguez and George Jacinto, both of Siler City.
“Eddy, a freshman, is one of our more experienced runners and we are looking forward to what he brings to the team and it will be exciting to help him develop,” Briggs said. “George, a freshman, has experience running cross country. I am looking forward to George helping to push his teammates and making everyone better.”
Another Chatham County student-athlete from Northwood High School in Pittsboro is Anna Trotter, who Briggs feels will bring a lot to the table for the CCCC program.
“The day Anna said she wanted to be part of the cross country team was very exciting. This young lady brings experience, determination, and the love of running with her. She will do big things while she is here at CCCC.”
Other members of the CCCC cross country team begin with Britney Bell of Cameron, who is playing her first organized sport.
“Britney is a tireless worker and lthough she has never done organized sports, she’s there each day giving it her all,” Briggs said. “Already we can see her steadily improving.”
Colby Day of Hatteras Island will be the main cog of the program this season according to Briggs.
Colby will be our lead man, I am looking for him to raise the bar for the program,” noted Briggs. “Only a freshman, he’s capable of setting school records and, along with his teammates, taking the program to new heights.”
Collin Henderson of Sanford, like Bell, has never been a part of an organized sport.
“Although he’s never been a part of organized sports before, he has the mental approach that everyone should have,” pointed out Briggs. “I know he is going to give us 100 percent and there is nothing more that I can ask for.”
Ramon Jimenez of Smithfield, NC, Nathalia Lima of Cameron, NC, Miranda Manfredi of Camden, GA, Nayelly Martinez of Sanford, Tyree Minor of Smithfield, and Madilynn Richardson from all the way out in Idaho round out the team.
“Ramon has bought into the program in a big way as a freshman and he travels every day from Smithfield to the Lee Main Campus and will be a big contributor,” continued Briggs. “Nathalia, talk about someone with heart and courage, she is in her second year at CCCC. Married with two young children and never having done a sport before, she decided to do cross country and I am delighted for her to be a part of our journey.”
Briggs continued on the CCCC roster.
“Miranda is a sprinter, saw that we did not have a track team, and decided to give cross country a try and after meeting with her, you could see that she has a never give-up attitude,” Briggs said. “Nayelly, she is studying to be an athletic trainer and has been with the team in that capacity but recently, we talked about running her first 5k and she had an event she was training for. I basically said, ‘Why not join the team and run your first 5k with us?’ She agreed.”
“Ty is very inspirational as he has never done cross country, only track and field and nothing over 300 meters. He has come to the program with great energy — always something positive to say. Madilynn just recently joined the team. Just a few days of practice and you can see her grit and determination.”
2019 CCCC Cross Country schedule:
Sept. 20 – Trojan Cross Country Invite, Virginia State University, Petersburg, Va.; Oct. 5 – Hagan Stone Cross Country Classic, Hagan Stone State Park, Pleasant Garden; Oct. 11 – 2019 Livingstone Cross Country Invitational, Salisbury Community Park, Salisbury; Oct. 19 – NJCAA Region X Championship, Spartanburg, S.C.; Nov. 9 – NJCAA Championships, Westfield, Mass.