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Vincennes University

Trailblazers Battle Snow and National Field at NJCAA Championships

Trailblazers Battle Snow and National Field at NJCAA Championships
Results
November 8, 2025

FORT DODGE, Iowa – The Vincennes University Men's and Women's Cross Country teams capped their seasons in challenging, snow-covered conditions at the NJCAA Division I National Championships on Saturday, November 8, at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course. The Trailblazers embraced one of the most demanding meets of the season, with snow falling throughout much of the day and temperatures barely above freezing. Despite the conditions, both teams improved on their national rankings — the VU women finishing 15th overall (up from No. 16 nationally) and the VU men finishing 20th (up from No. 24) against the nation's best two-year programs.

Trailblazer Women Earn 15th National Finish in Snowy 5K

The No. 16-ranked Vincennes women put together a determined performance in the 5,000-meter race, placing 15th overall with a total of 373 points.

Freshman Ikram Dorai continued her standout debut season, finishing eighth overall with a time of 18:46.0 to earn NJCAA All-American honors in her first-ever national meet. Sophomore Sarra Belgacem moved up four spots from last year to place 60th (20:28.3), while sophomore Alexis Hale showed one of the largest single-season jumps of any Trailblazer, improving 84 places from 146th last year to 62nd (20:30.2). Freshman Madison Senne clocked 22:10.0 to take 120th, followed by freshman Rorri Bottum, who set a new personal best of 22:55.0 for 138th. Freshman Allie Knepp placed 154th (23:56.5), and sophomore Alexandria Black closed out the lineup at 165th (24:58.6) as all seven Trailblazers crossed the line through slick, snowy terrain.

Head Coach Tyler Steigenga praised his team's poise in the snow and noted the major strides from last year's squad. "Ikram was awesome — eighth in her first-ever Nationals, and that was also her first time ever seeing snow in her life," he said. "Sara moved up again, Alexis made a massive improvement, and Madison has been working all year on managing her effort — she finished strong today. It's been awesome to see the women take a big step forward this year, and it's our best team finish in quite a while."

VU Men Improve to 20th Nationally in 8K Championship

The No. 24-ranked Trailblazer men improved four spots from their preseason ranking, finishing 20th overall in the 8,000-meter race with 540 team points.

Sophomore Anis Abdaoui led VU for the second straight year, finishing 20th overall (26:05.2) — moving up 15 spots from his 2024 Nationals placement and narrowly missing All-American status by just two places. Sophomore Lane Connaway climbed an impressive 56 places from his 2024 finish to take 81st (27:38.2), while sophomore Malachi Black (29:05.6), freshman Evan Dailey (29:15.4), and freshman Henry Dybsetter (29:56.2) rounded out the scoring five. Freshmen Seth Weaver (31:26.8) and Brody Wilson (33:02.3) provided key support in the harsh late-season weather.

"We prepared better than a lot of teams out there," Steigenga said. "It showed, especially on the men's side — we finished ahead of five teams that were ranked ahead of us in the polls. Anis moved up 15 places from last year, and Lane was huge for us, moving up more than 50 spots. Our younger guys weren't far off their season bests either, which is impressive given how slow and sloppy the course was."

Snow, Strategy, and Steadiness Define the Day

Saturday's race will be remembered as one of the snowiest NJCAA Championships in recent memory. The morning began with flurries that turned into heavy snow across the course, covering much of the terrain just hours before the start.

"In all the years I've been part of cross country, I've never seen anything quite like it," Steigenga said. "In 24 hours, we went from a green course with freshly painted lines to white snow covering everything. It made for slow, sloppy conditions — people were running a minute, even a minute and a half slower than normal — but that's cross country. It's about place more than time, and our kids really embraced that."

Next Up: NJCAA Half Marathon Championships

Vincennes will remain in Fort Dodge for the NJCAA Half Marathon Championships, held Tuesday, November 11, again at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course. The women's race begins at 10 a.m. EST, followed by the men's race at 10:15 a.m. EST, as the Trailblazers look to close the 2025 season with another strong showing.

Join the Journey

As always, fans can keep up with the Vincennes University Cross Country squad all year long through a number of ways: