Loralai Lambert qualified for the 2026 NAIA Cross Country Championships with a 10th-place finish at the Continental Athletic Conference Championship on Nov. 6 in Lawrence, Kan. The Florida National University graduate student completed the race in 28:09.92 and earned a CAC Second Team selection. Florida National’s women’s team finished fifth, while the men’s team placed third.
Lambert, a Champion of Character nominee from Pembroke Pines, Florida, led the women’s individual results for Florida National. Mia Betancourt placed 14th in 29:26.94 and recorded a season-best time, while Daryl Quichimbo finished 21st in 31:55.23 with her fastest 6K time of the season. Savanna Duperval placed 24th in 53:13.42, and Ganesia Bogle was 25th in 53:19.43.
Haskell Indian Nations University won the women’s team competition with 16 points. The host also won the men’s competition with 15 points. Florida National’s third-place men’s finish and fifth-place women’s result produced two top-five team finishes at the CAC Championship.
Florida National men place third
Mario Martinez led Florida National’s men’s results by placing 18th in the 8K in 28:50.57. Hugo-Augustin Kluczkowski finished 19th in 28:54.22, and both runners recorded their fastest 8K times of the season. Ricardo Pereira placed 32nd in 32:09.00, nearly three minutes faster than his previous personal record.
Marven Cassamajor finished 36th in 35:12.56 and recorded a seven-second personal record in the 8K. Denis Silva placed 39th in 36:49.23 in his season debut, while Richard Hall finished 40th in 40:28.37 after improving his personal record by about 1:40. The individual results accounted for Florida National’s third-place team finish.
Lambert scheduled for Nov. 20 national championship
Lambert is scheduled to represent Florida National at the 2026 NAIA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 20. The event is listed for 10:30 a.m. on Florida National’s schedule. Her 10th-place CAC finish secured the individual qualification, and her Second Team selection added conference recognition to the result.
FSB Take
Lambert’s qualification gives Florida National an individual entrant at the 2026 NAIA Cross Country Championships. The CAC results also show team-level depth, with the men placing third and the women fifth. Florida National will carry those two top-five finishes into Lambert’s scheduled national championship appearance.
Source: Original report