Top moments of 2023-24: No. 5 - Another national qualifier for cross country

In the fall of 2022, Gaston College set school history when Victoria Perez became the first student-athlete to participate in a National Junior College Athletic Association national championship event.

Last fall, Rhinos freshman Keirieonna Wilson duplicated Perez's feat by qualifying for the 2023 NJCAA nationals.

Wilson made the most of her appearance as she finished with the school's best-ever finish and her personal record.

Competing at the John Hunt Cross Country Running Park in Huntsville, Ala., Wilson finished 85th out of 180 runners in the Division I meet with a time of 20 minutes, 27.5 seconds. She bettered her previous personal best that was set in the Region 10 championships by 24 seconds.

A South Iredell High product who was the third-place finisher in the Region 10 championships, Wilson was joined at the NJCAA nationals by coach Kody Kubbs and freshman teammates Abbygale King and Abigale Harris.

"She ran really well," Gaston College coach Kody Kubbs said of Wilson. "She improved her PR (personal record) by 33 seconds at the Region 10 and she bested that by another 24 seconds today. So in the last two races, she's improved her PR by 57 seconds which is absolutely amazing."