MESA WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY SET FOR NATIONALS IN FORT DODGE AS NATION’S NO. 1 TEAM

Wednesday Novemeber 5,  2025 - 10:00 a.m. | Dylan DeVlieger    

The top-ranked Mesa Community College Women's Cross Country program heads to Fort Dodge, Iowa on Saturday to compete in the NJCAA Division II National Championships, aiming to cap another dominant season. The Thunderbirds arrive as the No. 1 team in the country, fresh off sweeping both the NJCAA Region I and ACCAC titles.

Freshman standout Olivia Baker has been the catalyst of Mesa's success, winning the individual Region I/ACCAC crown and earning five ACCAC DII Runner of the Week awards and two NJCAA M-F Athlete of the Week honors. She also owns the fastest 6k time in the ACCAC this season, consistently setting the tone for the T-Birds.

But Mesa's rise hasn't been powered by Baker alone. A seasoned sophomore group compromised of Lucy Melzer, Kinley Jackson, Katie Munoz, & Marissa Hernandez has shaped the competitive culture around Baker. Providing leadership, experience, and daily training partners who elevate the entire squad. Head coach Daniel Pescador emphasized how crucial that dynamic has been.

"I think that's been a tremendous dynamic. It has allowed Olivia to be Olivia. She can go out and run, knowing that all the pressure is not on her to deliver the outcome for the team performance. She knows she's got a great group of girls with her and they have been able to bounce off each other and set new standards," said Pescador.

The T-Birds enter nationals as the defending NJCAA champions, and their performance this fall shows they've reloaded rather than rebuilt. Still, Pescador has stressed the importance of staying grounded as the program adjusts to life with a target on its back.

"We have been staying grounded, being in the moment and being present. That we need to acknowledge that yes we are defending champions, but that was last year's team. We understand it's a competitive field, and we don't overlook anyone. We'll be facing strong teams, we just need to race together. Enjoy the moment now, have fun together, execute together, and we'll have good results," said Pescador.

With championship experience, elite front-running, and depth throughout the lineup, Mesa enters Saturday confident in the system that brought them here. Pescador believes the key is not reinvention—but execution.

"I want us to just be us, continue to race like the Mesa Thunderbirds. We don't need to change our style, and do anything extraordinary. We want to run a clean strong race, be in the moment for each other. I think if we can be packed up early up front and set a good pace, we'll have a great outcome. Our main focus to get a good gauge is where we are as a team at the 2-mile mark. After that, it's racing to the line as a group and finish the job," said Pescador.

Mesa will look to do exactly that on Saturday morning in Fort Dodge as the nation's No. 1 team chases another national championship.