Into the Record Books: Anchike Makes History as Harlingen South Freshman Impresses for UTRGV

UTRGV women’s cross country has two performances worth talking about after the Arturo Barrios Invitational.

One runner made history. Another showed why her future could be pretty exciting.

N Vanee Anchike stole the headlines in College Station, running a 20:51.0 in the women’s 6K to set a new UTRGV school record.

The senior broke Mercy Chelangat’s previous mark of 20:53.0, which had stood since 2018. She also improved her own personal best by more than 24 seconds.

That’s a serious performance, especially with the Southland Conference Championships approaching.

But just behind Anchike was another story worth paying attention to.

Jessica DeLeon, a freshman out of Harlingen South, finished as UTRGV’s second runner in her first collegiate 6K.

DeLeon clocked a 21:02.8, placing 92nd overall in a competitive field. She finished just 11.8 seconds behind Anchike’s record-breaking performance.

Think about that for a second.

A freshman running her first collegiate 6K finished less than 12 seconds behind the fastest 6K performance in UTRGV history.

That’s an impressive introduction to the distance.

And for those of us following Rio Grande Valley athletes, seeing a Harlingen South graduate already making an impact at the Division I level makes this one even better.

UTRGV also finished third among the nine Southland teams competing at the meet, another encouraging result heading into championship season.

The Vaqueros now turn their attention to the Southland Conference Championships on October 30.

Diamond DITV Final Word

Anchike deserves every bit of recognition for putting her name in the UTRGV record books.

But don’t overlook what DeLeon just accomplished.

One is a senior setting the standard. The other is a Valley freshman already showing she can compete alongside her.

That’s two performances worth celebrating, and two runners we’ll be watching closely when the Southland Championships arrive.