CHARLOTTE, NC – Running collegiate best times at the 2025 Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas has led to NJCAA Division 1 Cross Country Runner of the Week awards for Garden City Community College Cross Country runners Meryeme Mai and Thaddaeus Rotich.

Meryeme Mai (Garden City) – NJCAA D1 Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week
Sophomore Meryeme Mai claimed the individual title at the Prairie Fire Pepper 5K with a season-best time of 17:45.3. Her performance led Garden City Community College to a sixth-place team finish out of 25 schools competing across NCAA DII, NAIA, and NJCAA divisions. The Broncbusters were the top-finishing NJCAA program, posting a team average of 19:40. Garden City CC currently stands number five nationally in the NJCAA rankings.

Thaddaeus Rotich (Garden City) – NJCAA D1 Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week
Garden City sophomore Thaddaeus Rotich ran the top time in the KJCCC last week, competing in the 2025 Chile Pepper Festival McDonnel 8K, which featured primarily NCAA Division and Division 2 runners. Rotich's time of 25:14.10 placed 60th out of 285 runners, with his time serving as a collegiate best time.