Two former track standouts from St Joseph’s Convent (St George’s) in Grenada, Annie Logie and Kaiyanna Alexander, have made an immediate impact on the U.S. collegiate cross-country circuit, helping their Cloud County Community College T-Birds women’s squad lock in a podium finish and a coveted spot at the 2026 NJCAA Division I National Cross-Country Championships. The breakthrough performance unfolded on October 30 at the Ollie Isom Cross Country Course in El Dorado, Kansas, during the combined NJCAA Region 6 and Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) Championships, where the pair competed over a challenging 5-kilometre layout. Fort Hays Tech Northwest claimed the regional title with a tight 59-point total, while host institution Butler Community College secured the runner-up spot with 61 points. Cloud County’s team tallied 80 points to comfortably clinch the third and final automatic qualifying slot for the national finals, edging out competing programs by a decisive margin. Alexander crossed the finish line first among the Grenadian duo, notching a 26th-place overall finish with a time of 20:27.16, while Logie followed closely in 36th position with a 21:07.59 mark. The T-Birds’ top performers were led by sophomore Faith Jepchumba, who took second overall in an impressive 17:39.61, followed by Scholastica Herman in sixth (18:42.38), Breonna Peterson in 14th (19:29.71), and Isabelle Smith in 34th. Alexander’s top-30 result rounded out Cloud County’s five official scoring runners, while Logie’s 36th-place run delivered a critical displacement score that helped the team fend off rivals for the final national qualification spot. Cloud County Head Coach Drew Mahin lauded the two Grenadian freshmen for their lightning-fast adaptation to the rigorous demands of U.S. collegiate distance racing, noting their exceptional progress in just a few short months of training. “Especially with them being so young, they’ve done extremely well,” Mahin shared. “They have adjusted well to training in just a short few months, especially Kaiyanna, who has grown in confidence and really pushes herself. This is their first experience competing in cross country in the States, and they have been great teammates who never complain.” Mahin also emphasized that the endurance base the pair has built over the cross-country season will provide a strong foundation for the upcoming indoor and outdoor track campaigns, highlighting Logie’s natural speed that will be amplified by her newfound stamina. The team now sets its sights on the NJCAA Division I National Championships, scheduled for November 14 in Huntsville, Alabama, where Logie, Alexander, and the rest of the T-Birds roster will compete against the top junior college distance running programs across the U.S. to chase a top-10 national team finish.