Broncbusters Shine at Region 6 Championships with School Records, National Marks

Photo by: Adam Shrimplin/Garden City Athletics

ARKANSAS CITY, KS – Garden City Community College delivered a strong showing at the 2026 Region 6 Outdoor Track and Field Championships/KJCCC Outdoor Championships hosted by Cowley College, with both Broncbuster squads finishing fourth in the West Conference while producing multiple national qualifiers, school records, and podium performances.

The Broncbuster women finished sixth overall out of 11 teams in the region, while the men placed seventh out of 14 teams. Garden City also saw assistant coach Juliette Rios earn KJCCC/Region 6 Women's Assistant Coach of the Year honors following a successful championship weekend.

On the men's side, Elias Mebitil-Libert turned in one of the top performances of the meet, qualifying for nationals in his collegiate debut in the 10,000 meters with a time of 31:55.59 to place sixth in the region and fourth in the conference. He followed with a runner-up finish in the region and conference title in the 5,000 meters, clocking 14:46.20.

Landen Leonard also secured a national qualifying mark and personal best in the 1,500 meters, finishing in 3:57.71 to place fourth in the region and second in the conference. Leonard later added another personal best in the 800 meters at 1:54.24.

Anesu Makuwatsine broke the school record in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 52.63, earning runner-up finishes in both the region and conference. Daniel Aboagye added another school record for the Broncbusters, placing third in the region and second in the conference in the 800 meters with a time of 1:50.62.

Thaddaeus Rotich qualified for nationals in his collegiate debut in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, posting a time of 9:32.68 to finish fourth in the region and second in the conference. Eyona Mangumta added a national qualifying mark in the hammer throw with a personal-best toss of 49.72 meters.

The men's 4x800-meter relay team of Mebitil-Libert, Leonard, Aboagye, and Andreas Laursen captured the conference title while breaking the school record with a time of 7:36.22.

Additional men's highlights included Andreas Laursen posting a personal-best 4:01.61 in the 1,500 meters, Brayan Herrera-Ramirez making his collegiate debut in the steeplechase with a third-place conference finish, and the 4x100-meter relay team placing third in the conference at 42.76.

For the women, Meryeme Mai continued her standout season by setting a new school record and national qualifying time in the 10,000 meters at 36:56.33, finishing runner-up in the region. Mai also placed third in the region in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:40.40 and added a top-three conference finish in the 800 meters.

Naya Jules delivered another historic performance in the heptathlon, finishing third in the region with 4,476 points and moving to fourth nationally in the event. Jules also broke her own school record in the javelin with a throw of 41.88 meters while placing third in both the region and conference.

Halima Biggs reached the national qualifying standard in the high jump with a personal-best clearance of 1.63 meters, earning runner-up finishes in both the region and conference. Reid Harvey-McKean claimed a Region 6 championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a winning time of 12:00.55.

Marshea Fisher impressed in her collegiate debut in the 200 meters with a conference-scoring finish while also placing fourth in the conference in the high jump and seventh in the 400 meters. Umahan Sahin made her collegiate debut in the 10,000 meters and finished sixth in the region, while Snegugu Mkhize and Maritza Romero each recorded personal bests in the 1,500 meters.

The Broncbusters will close out the outdoor season at the 2026 NJCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Hobbs from May 14-16.