RIVERA WINS REGIONAL AND RAIDERS QUALIFY FIVE FOR NATIONALS

A group of college cross country runners competes on a grassy course surrounded by trees and mountains in the background. The lead runner wears a red Roane State uniform, followed closely by athletes in orange Tennessee jerseys, white Tusculum singlets, and navy uniforms. The bright sunlight casts clear shadows as the runners stride forward in the mid-race pack. — Runners compete at the Roane State Invitational in September

October 27, 2025

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Roane State's cross country program made history at the TCCAA/NJCAA Region VII Championships on Friday, October 24, with every Raider competitor qualifying for the NJCAA National Championships next month in Dodge City, Iowa.

Sophomore Savannah Rivera highlighted the day with a dominant wire-to-wire victory in the women's race, while freshman Graham Loyd earned all-region honors on the men's side with a third-place finish.

Rivera, who crossed the finish line in 18:30, was in command from the opening mile and never looked back, finishing more than a minute ahead of the next runner. Head coach Bobby Holcombe praised her steady improvement and focus throughout the season.

"She's getting stronger—she has more energy in her," Holcombe said. "We've been pushing her training volume and intensity the last few weeks to prepare for nationals, and it paid off today. She dominated that first race and set herself up perfectly for Dodge City."

Freshman Rebekah Hickey rounded out the Lady Raiders' performance with a 10th-place finish in 23:19, securing her own national championship appearance and helping Roane State put both of its female runners in the top ten of the regional field.

On the men's side, Loyd continued his breakout freshman season with a third-place finish in 26:42, pacing a strong pack effort that saw all three Roane State men finish inside the top 13. Freshman Joshua Watkins crossed the line in 28:39—a performance Holcombe called a "breakout race"—while Ronnie Cross finished close behind in 29:20.

"Joshua took almost three minutes off of his personal record today," Holcombe said. "He went out more aggressively and believed in what he had. The training has started to feed into their confidence, and that confidence is showing in the races."

Holcombe said the men's group, which has steadily progressed through the fall, is hitting its stride at the perfect time.

"You can really see the difference in how they're running now compared to earlier in the year," he added. "Ronnie is improving every race, and Graham's consistency has been huge for us. They're starting to believe in themselves."

All five Raider runners—Rivera, Hickey, Loyd, Watkins, and Cross—will now represent Roane State at the NJCAA National Championships, held November 8-11, 2025, in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

"This is a landmark year for us," Holcombe said. "For the first time, we're sending a full team to compete nationally, and we're even entering athletes in both the cross country and half marathon championships. It's a big step forward for Roane State Cross Country."