COLBY, Kan. – The top National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) runners at the 2026 Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas, last week, Hutchinson Community College cross country runners Ashara Frater and Letsepa Prince Madume have each been named the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) Cross Country Runners of the Week.
Ashara Frater (Hutchinson) – KJCCC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week
Sophomore Ashara Frater was the top NJCAA runner in the Harter’s Habanero women’s 5,000-meter race at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas, placing 35th out of 249 runners. Frater ran a career-best 5,000-meter time of 17:28.7, the third-fastest time in Blue Dragon women’s cross country history.
Letsepa Prince Madume (Hutchinson) – KJCCC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week
Hutchinson freshman Letsepa Prince Madume finished fifth overall on Saturday at the Chile Pepper Festival. Madume led the Blue Dragons on Saturday with a time of 24:13.0, the eighth-fastest time in Blue Dragon history in an 8,000-meter event. Madume had a strong stretch run, passing a pair of University of Texas runners to place fifth overall in his first collegiate 8,000-meter race.
Other Women’s Runners Nominated:
None
Other Men’s Runners Nominated:
Josue Vega – Dodge City
