Damaris Chewon Named CSC Academic All-American

New Mexico Junior College cross country and track and field runner Damaris Chewon was voted to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) 2023 Academic All-America Women's At-Large First Team.

Chewon is the first Thunderbird student-athlete to receive CSC Academic All-American status.

The Kapsabet, Kenya native continues to pile on the awards during her two-year tenure in Hobbs. The distance runner has collected both the team indoor and outdoor track and field national titles this year along with four team runner-up finishes in 2022 (indoor and outdoor track and field and cross country and half marathon).

Individually, Chewon won the 5000m at the 2023 NJCAA Indoor National Championship. She was the runner-up in the 3000m and scored 20 points overall, which was a tie for top scorer at the national meet. Chewon finished runner-up in the 10,000m and 5000m at the 2023 NJCAA Outdoor National Championship.

She was also runner-up in the half marathon in the fall of 2022 and came in third place at the cross country championships in 2022 as well. Chewon earned All-Conference and All-Region selections for cross country in the fall. Chewon was named the USTFCCCA West Region Track Runner of the Year in the spring of 2022.

Damaris has a 3.85 GPA and will graduate NMJC in the fall with an Associates of Science. She plans continue her athletic and academic career at the four-year level with her focus shifting to a degree in the health sciences/nursing field.

"Damaris is the type of student athlete that a coach loves to have in their program," cross country head coach and track and field assistant Jeff Becker said. "She works just as hard in her schoolwork as she does in her running. We always achieve to have a program that stresses and celebrates academic success as much as athletic success. Damaris had a great school year as she was vital in helping us win two track titles and two runner-up finishes in cross country and half marathon."

The Thunderbirds are not done seeing the 10-time All-American in Hobbs, NM. Chewon has unfinished business when she enters the fall semester.

"Damaris has one semester left before she graduates," Becker said. "We will have her back for cross country and half marathon. I look for her to lead the team and have a great chance to win the individual and team national championship this upcoming season."