David Perkins
Staff Writer
This season Cameron men’s cross-country earned 3rd place in the NCAA Lone Star Conference on Nov. 3 this year for the first time in the program’s history.
Leading up to the November 3rd LSC Conference meet, Cameron cross-country placed first in three of four of these events.
Head coach of Cameron men and women’s cross-country Zach Johnson was optimistic from the beginning of the season and has been very pleased with the performance of the athletes this year.
“I thought coming in to the season that we’d have a shot at the top three,” Johnson said. “But you never really know until everybody gets here on campus and you figure out how much everybody has ran over the summer. That’s when you see what kind of shape they’re in.”
Junior James Majenge, who transferred to Cameron this year from Monroe Community College in New York, was one of the top players this season. He has earned the Lone Star Conference’s commendation of “Newcomer of the Year.”
Majenge won first place in three of the four events this fall.
“James was definitely a surprise this year,” Johnson said. “He’s been training with us six days a week and he’s really stepped up his commitment this year. I knew he’d be good, but I wasn’t expecting him to win every meet. So obviously that was a nice surprise.”
Junior Celso Ramirez is feeling good about the season so far.
Ramirez competed in NCAA South Central Regional meet two years ago during his freshman year.
His optimism is rooted in the noticeable strength in this year’s roster of athletes.
“I think this year we have a very strong group of runners,” Ramirez said, “Which has pushed us to this point.”
Junior James Majenge has set records for Cameron University this year. Majenge worked hard on his training throughout the summer. His optimistic outlook on this fall season is similar to that of Ramirez and he has been very pleased with the results of the season.
“This season has been great, and we’ve made some history together,” Majenge said. “I’ve been training this summer in a program and the main goal for me was to get to this point without injuries and still be on form without fatigue.”
With focus and hard work, Majenge has made major contributions to Cameron’s cross-country program.
“The idea was to stay focused during the season and remain composed in the early part of every race. If I do that I know everything will work out as planned.”
The Cameron men’s cross country team will finish up their season at the NCAA South Central Regional Meet on Nov. 17 in Denver, Colorado.