It's been a strong start to his sophomore year in cross country for Josue Vegas, as he put together one of the best outings by a Conquistador cross country runner in years last week at the Ollie Isom Invite in El Dorado, Kansas. 
 
Vega's winning performance at the Ollie Isom Invite last week earned him United State Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NJCAA Division I National Athlete of the Week. The award is the first time ever that a Dodge City runner has earned the recognition from the USTFCCA. 
 
Vega won the race, which featured 112 runners, posting a 24:28.9 and beating strong competition from the Jayhawk Conference and four-year schools like Fort Hays State and Emporia State by more than 20 seconds in an 8000-meter race. 
 
The Conquistadors have raced three times this season, and Vega has finished fourth or better in all three. He opened the season with a fourth-place finish at the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic, posting a time of 20:28.77 in a four-mile race. He followed that up with a fourth-place finish in a stacked field of 180+ runners at the Rogers State Distance After Dark, recording a time of 20:22.7 in a four-mile race. 
 
During his career at Dodge City, he has five top 10 individual finishes.