Paradise Valley Community College's Nate Pestka wins national junior college title
When he graduated from Phoenix Shadow Mountain in 2022, Nate Pestka bet on himself. The two-time Division III state champion in track and field opted to attend Paradise Valley Community College instead of a four-year college right out of high school to improve his prospects. He could have gone to Arizona State University to compete but without a scholarship. He wanted more.
That bet has started to pay off as Pestka, now a sophomore at PVCC, won a national title at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Cross Country Championships in Huntsville, Alabama, last weekend. Pestka ran the 8,000-meter course in 24:49.1 to come in first.
With recruiting in full swing and a national title to his name, it makes the moment that much more special. He's just trying to take it all in stride as he looks ahead.
"It's a good reflection of the months and the years that have been stacking up on top of each other," Pestka. "It is a deserving win. But at the same time, it's not an end-all, be-all."
Last year, PVCC and coach David Barney walked away with a team title as the men won. This year, it's an individual title. For someone with a 29-year coaching history at the school, the moment is a rare one.
It's only the second time the school has had an individual champion. Patrick Keller won it in 2000.
"Super excited for Nate and our program," Barney said. "I hope that it helps with his ability to be recruited. I ran for the University of Arkansas under John McDonnell and he told me, 'I'll always take a 4:20 miler who's a state champion over a 4:10 miler who's not because I can help anybody get faster, but I can't teach them how to win.' And I hope the universities recognize that and think about that. But it's super neat for Nate. I'm proud of him."
It's been a long road for Pestka at PVCC. While he recorded a personal best in the 1,500 meters on the track, he was still searching for that breakthrough performance.
The upcoming track season will be crucial for Pestka, but the win goes a long way.
"The national championship under my belt is still huge and will definitely broaden my opportunities," Pestka said.
It's not just himself celebrating the win. So is his family.
Simply put, the Pestka's are a running family. Nate's dad, Gregg, competed in middle school, high school and junior college before coaching his three sons at Shadow Mountain. His uncle, Scott, did the same and used to be the school record holder in the 3,200 meters — until Nate broke it in 2022. Scott went on to compete at Northern Arizona University, where he was part of the 1988 cross-country team that finished in second place at the NCAA championships. Running, well, it runs in the family.
"We come from a bunch of runners, for generations," Gregg said. "I made sure that I was right there at the finish line. I knew coming down the last kilometer that there were four of them fighting for the win, and he came down that long stretch — my eyes don't work very well these days and it took a little while for me to figure out it was him. And I just went ballistic. I started yelling, 'That's my boy!' I was pointing at him, going frantic. My heart rate was going 100 miles an hour. He's won some big races in his days, this probably tops everything that he's done in cross-country and track."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: PVCC's Nate Pestka wins national junior college title in cross country
