A week ago, Pima College's men's cross country team entered the 28-team Southern Showcase in Alabama, an event that included the nation's Nos. 2, 5, 11 and 12 teams.
Pima won the meet and is now ranked No. 1 in the nation. What's more, PCC's women's cross country team has climbed to No. 2 in the NJCAA rankings.
This shouldn't be a giant surprise because coach Chad Harrison's men's team finished No. 9 in the 2023 NJCAA cross country finals; the women's team finished No. 16 that year. Both clubs have routinely been Top 25 teams in the NJCAA cross country polls for the last 10 years.
The Aztecs won the NJCAA cross country men's championships in 1980, and now, with runners such as Lucas Williams of Mica Mountain High School, Joseph Moreno of Tucson High, Jose Hernandez of Rio Rico High and last week's NJCAA Cross Country Athlete of the Week, Kallen McCracken, this seems like a club with a legitimate chance to challenge for the national title.
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The 2026 Pima Community College men’s cross country team poses for a photo. From left: Joseph Moreno, Caius Lastra, Kallen McCracken, Micah Peynado, Brandon Campbell and Lucas Williams.
Without much fanfare, Pima College's athletic department has clearly been a Top 10 program in the NJCAA the last five years across all sports. It doesn't take long to figure out why. The eight head coaches at PCC have created consistency and success with their longevity, challenging for (or winning) national championships in men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, softball and baseball. Now comes Harrison's cross country teams, ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the nation.
Here's a glance at the longevity that has led to excellence in PCC's sports department:
Men's soccer: Dave Cosgrove has been the head coach for 28 years, winning two national championships.
Women's soccer: Kendra Veliz has been the head coach for 25 years, and her team is currently undefeated and ranked No. 7 nationally.
Men's basketball: Brian Peabody has been the coach for 14 years and has finished 35-1 in each of the last two seasons.
Women's basketball: Todd Holthaus has been the coach for 20 years and won the national championship in March.
Softball: Rebekah Quiroz has been the head coach for seven years and on the staff for 21 years. Her team finished No. 8 nationally last year, 48-10 overall.
Baseball: Ken Jacome, also PCC's athletic director, is in his ninth year as head coach. His teams have gone 293-133.
Cross country/track and field: Chad Harrison is in his 13th year as head coach. His men's and women's track teams both finished in the Top 10 two years ago.
Volleyball: Head coach Dan Bithell is in his 27th year as head coach.
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