Atlantic Cape Community College’s Athletics Department unveiled its 10th sports program when the Women’s Cross Country took part in an inaugural race in the Stockton Open at Stockton University in Galloway. The team will be based out of the college’s Cape May County campus and will run home meets at the Cape May County Park and Zoo.

The Buccaneers are led by head coach and Cape May County campus operations manager W. Shane Ritchie, graduated from Canisius University in 2008 with a bachelor’s in political science. Ritchie brings years of personal experience as a recreational ½ Marathon runner, Triathlon participant, Tough Mudder USA participant and Ragnar Run participant.

He said: “I am incredibly excited to be the coach for the inaugural season of the Buccaneers Women’s Cross Country team. This program will provide an option for local high school runners to continue to compete, as well as provide an option for students that run recreationally to join an athletic team,” said Ritchie. “We will look to push ourselves every time we are on the course or in the gym, and we will look to compete and improve with every practice and race. The hard work and commitment of our student athletes is inspiring, and we hope to build the program step-by-step and lead it to great things.”

Atlantic Cape Athletic Director is proud to witness the continued steady growth of the College’s athletics department for the benefit of the communities that comprise Atlantic and Cape May counties.

“I am very excited about adding Women’s Cross Country to our Athletics Program. This is a great opportunity to highlight our women’s sports and give high school graduates another opportunity to compete at the collegiate level,” said Athletics Director Jamal Edwards. “Adding cross country as our 10th sport gives us a large variety of sports for our student-athletes to participate in,” he said.

Representing the Buccaneers this season are Christina Narvaez, a freshman from Somers Point, NJ who graduated from Atlantic County Institute of Technology, and Aaqsa Nimreen, a freshman from Atlantic City, NJ who graduated from Penn Foster High School in Scranton, PA.

Visit www.atlanticcape.edu/womensxc for schedule, coaches and roster information.