Dodge City cross country teams are ready to get things off to a running start for the 2025 season and compete in the KJCCC and nationally.
 
The Conquistador women are coming off their fifth straight year with a Top 12 finish at the NJCAA Division I National Championships, as they finished 12th last year. The men's team is only a few years removed from a Top 20 team finish at nationals and has had an individual compete at nationals the past two seasons. 
 
For the women, it will be a group of fresh faces as only one runner returns from last year's squad. Daniela Cerda is back after a 70th-place finish at nationals with a time of 19:39.2 last year. She will be joined by eight incoming freshman and one more sophomore who competed for the Conqs last year during track and will know compete in cross country, also. 
 
The Conq men bring back three runners who compete during the cross country season last year, along with another runner who competed for the Conqs during the track season last year, competing in the distance events. Juan Gomez-Lira is back after competing at nationals last year, posting a time of 28:55, while Juan Badillo and Dash Garton return alongside him after each competing last fall for the Conqs. Josue Vega is back for the Conqs after competing during the track season last year, breaking the 5000-meter run indoor school record, and know looks to compete in his first cross country season. Seven incoming freshmen finish out the Conqs roster, giving the team 11 runners to fill out the competition. 
 
The annual Terry Masterson Twilight Classic, hosted by Hutchinson CC, starts the cross country season for the Conqs yet again as they will compete in Hutchinson, Kansas, on Friday, August 29th, in the evening. The Conqs will have another night race on Thursday, September 4th, when they race at the Rogers State Distance After Dark in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On Saturday, September 13th, the Conqs will run at the Muthama-Rogers Invite hosted by Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas. In October, the Conqs will run at the Neosho County Invite on the 3rd, along with the Fort Hays State Invite on the 11th and the NJCAA Region 6 Championship on the 24th. The NJCAA DI National Championships are set for Saturday, November 8th, in Fort Dodge, Iowa.