Thunderbird (M-Track) Places Runner-up for 2nd Straight Season

The NMJC men's track & field team finished national runner-up to South Plains College on Saturday, March 8 at the 2025 NJCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Lubbock, Texas.

The T-Birds also finished runner-up at indoor nationals in 2024. 

South Plains won the team national title with a score of 119.5 points. The Thunderbirds came 33.5 points short of the Texans with a team total of 86 points. Iowa Western placed third with a team score of 81.

The T-Birds finished Day 2 with 10 more individual All-Americans and three individual national champions.

"Our men gave their all and competed like champions this weekend," men's track & field head coach Terry VanLaningham said. "Many had lifetime bests and finished higher than they were projected. This was evident in us claiming five individual titles and 15 All-American accolades." 

Sophomore sprinter Bovel McPherson broke the NJCAA national record in the 400m with a blazing finish of 45.58. The Jamaican beat Sean Bailey's (Western Texas) 400m record of 45.59 set in 2017. The incredible time won the 400m national title on Saturday and set the NMJC record in the event. The finish was 1.07 seconds faster than the nearest competitor this weekend and is No. 10 collegiately for all levels.   

"Bovel is a tremendous talent and has been a joy to coach," men's assistant coach Kathleen Raske said. "I am thrilled to see him accomplish his goals and setting a new national record. He is a special athlete that will continue to move forward and achieve much more outdoors."  

Ilias Arifi stormed back in the final event of the heptathlon to win the national title in thrilling fashion Saturday afternoon. The freshman went into the 1000m in seventh place needing a fast time to climb up the leaderboard. The Brussels, Belgium native ran a 2:45.60 in the final event to earn 812 points. The points added to a school-record 5054 points which eclipsed Indian Hills' Triston Miller by a mere nine points.   

"Bovel's championship winning time of 45.58 setting a new NJCAA all-time record was special," Coach VanLaningham said. "Ilias Arifi winning the heptathlon in his first championship coming from behind after a Day 1 place of ninth was representative of what we work for beginning the first day of practice. Competing your best when it counts the most."

Freshman sprinter David Nyamufarira won the 60m national title with a time of 6.60. The finish bested the competition by .03 seconds. A Zimbabwean T-Bird has now won the 60m dash in three consecutive years (Carlie Makarawu 2023-24). Nyamufarira also earned All-American honors in the 200m where he placed fourth in the competition with a collegiate personal-best time of 20.91.

Sophomore TK Pahuwa earned All-American status in the 400m after running a 46.99 in the race to place fourth in the event.

Jonathan Da Silva was the second Thunderbird All-American in the heptathlon. The freshman multi came in fifth place with a score of 4967. Distance runner Romain Toth ran in the 800 on Saturday to finish in fifth place with a time of 1:51.29. 

Johnathon Rodgers earned his second All-American distinction this week. The sophomore triple jumped to a fifth-place finish with a leap of 15.48m. Joao Dalandrea threw a personal-best 16.89m in the weight throw. The All-American performance earned him a sixth-place finish.  

Raheim Scott placed seventh in the 600m final with a time of 1:18.39 in just his second time running the event.

"We are very young and had a handful that would have helped us that were not at the meet," Coach VanLaningham said. "I am proud of the team and am excited for how we learn from and get better, as we start our journey to Hutchinson for the outdoor championships in May. Our roster is more suited for the outdoor season. The goal is the same, compete great and contest for the championship!"

The USTFCCCA Regional Awards were announced on Saturday with the T-Birds bringing home two trophies. Bovel McPherson was named Men's West Region Track Athlete of the Year and Coach Kathleen Raske earned Men's West Region Assistant of the Year.

The Thunderbirds earned the week off and will get back into action with the start of the outdoor season at the ACU Wes Kittley Invite in Abilene, Texas March 21-22.