Trailblazers Cap Season at NJCAA Half Marathon Championships

FORT DODGE, Iowa – The Vincennes University Men's and Women's Cross Country teams wrapped up an outstanding 2025 season Tuesday morning at the NJCAA Half Marathon Championships, hosted at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Running in near-freezing temperatures and biting winds, the Trailblazers showed determination to close out a historic year that saw both programs earn national top-20 rankings and multiple All-American honors.

The VU women finished eighth overall, while the men placed 15th in a deep national field. Both teams capped the season inside the top 20 of the final NJCAA Division I National Coaches' Cross Country Poll, with the women at No. 15 and the men at No. 20.

Dorai Breaks School Record, Women Place Eighth Nationally

Freshman Ikram Dorai continued her dominant debut season, placing fifth overall with a school-record time of 1:19:20.8, earning NJCAA All-American honors for the second time in just four days after her eighth-place finish in the 5K National Championship. Dorai's performance shattered the Vincennes women's half marathon record and solidified her as one of the VU's elite distance runners.

Sophomore Sarra Belgacem clocked 1:30:44.5 to place 37th, while sophomore Alexis Hale was right behind her in 41st (1:31:38.8) — the pair combining with Dorai to secure Vincennes' eighth-place team finish, edging Salt Lake Community College on a tiebreaker.

Freshmen Madison Senne (1:40:53.4) and Rorri Bottum (1:41:40.7) both finished strong in support, followed by Allie Knepp (1:46:00.9), Josie Lade (1:48:18.6), and Jasmyn Self (1:51:39.0) — each completing the grueling course and contributing to a resilient team performance that highlighted the program's depth and toughness.

Head Coach Tyler Steigenga commended the group's effort and improvement throughout the year. "We were hoping to improve on last year's seventh-place finish and ended up eighth after winning a tiebreaker with Salt Lake," Steigenga said. "The top three girls ran 21 minutes faster combined than our top three last year, on a much harder course. That shows just how far this group has come. Ikram breaking the school record was huge, and all three of our scorers ran personal bests. It's been awesome to see their consistency and growth all season."

Abdaoui Leads Men's Team to 15th-Place Finish

The Trailblazer men earned a 15th-place team finish, led by sophomore Anis Abdaoui, who crossed in 24th place overall with a blazing 1:10:20.5 — setting a new Vincennes University men's half marathon record. The time capped an exceptional season for Abdaoui, who also won the Region 24 individual title and finished 20th at the NJCAA 8K National Championship.

Sophomore Lane Connaway crossed next in 1:16:22.0, while freshman Evan Dailey completed the scoring in 1:17:11.2, giving the Trailblazers a combined three-runner total that secured their top-15 national finish.

Freshmen Malachi Black (1:17:48.9), Henry Dybsetter (1:18:17.2), and Seth Weaver (1:24:44.8) each turned in strong supporting efforts, adding depth to a young but rapidly improving squad.

"Anis ran a great race again — 24th in the country and the fastest half marathon in school history," Steigenga said. "Henry was steady as ever, and Lane had a big PR from last year's race. The course was tough, but they battled and kept competing. This group has come a long way in just one year."

A Season to Remember for Trailblazer Cross Country

The 2025 season will go down as one to remember in Vincennes University Cross Country history. Both programs swept the NJCAA Region 24 Championships, captured individual region titles, and placed inside the top 20 nationally in both the 8K/5K Cross Country Championships and the Half Marathon Championships. The women's team reached its highest national ranking ever at No. 11, while the men climbed as high as No. 16 during the season, highlighted by strong national finishes and continued improvement across a young roster.

"This was a really good finish to the weekend and the season," Steigenga said. "Our kids have worked hard since August and earned every bit of their success. From hosting Regionals to putting two teams in the top 20 and breaking school records, this was a special group. We'll take a short break and then shift focus to indoor track. I'm excited to see where we can go from here."