For the first time in four years, a women's cross country athlete from Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) has been named Lone Star Conference freshman runner of the week. Chama El Hadiri received this honor after her performance at the Texas Tech Open.
"She works hard in practice," said assistant coach Keyanah Browning when asked about El Hadiri earning the recognition. "This was her first collegiate race ever. I know there is more to come from her."
El Hadiri, who is from Marrakech, Morocco, recorded a 6k time of 23:24.7 at the meet, making it the fastest by any Lone Star Conference runner this season. She finished 21st overall and ninth among NCAA Division II competitors.
Her effort helped ENMU secure tenth place as a team, and she was their top finisher at the event. El Hadiri crossed the line just over two and a half minutes behind the winning time.
This was El Hadiri's first collegiate competition since she did not participate in ENMU's opening meet earlier this year. The last ENMU runner to receive similar conference recognition was Marta Pascoa in 2021.
The next scheduled competition for Eastern New Mexico cross country is set for September 26 at the NMJC Invitational in Hobbs.
