Kriz Perez

Bio

Kriz Perez is a sophomore distance runner from Springdale. A graduate of Don Tyson School of Innovation, Perez was part of a highly successful Class of 2024 in cross country at DTSOI. The Phoenix went to state all four years of Perez's time there.

Academically, Perez graduated from DTSOI with high honors and was named an NJCAA Academic All-American at NWACC in 2024.

2025

Perez was successful all season long in his second cross country stint with NWACC. After starting off with a second-place finish at the NWACC Season Opener Sept. 5, he failed to finish the Southern Stampede Cross Country Meet but bounced back with a pair of top-25 finishes, including a PR at the Golden Eagle Invitational (12th, 26:29.3).

He came in second again at the NJCAA Region 2 Championship, then finished 47th at the NJCAA Division II National Championship to lead NWACC to 19th place nationally.

2024

Paced by three top-five finishes, Perez's first collegiate season was an impressive one. The NWACC Opener Aug. 30 saw him take third place (27:49.5), then he returned to the top five Oct. 12 at the University of the Ozarks Invitational and beat 27 minutes for the first time collegiately, finishing fifth.

He repeated the fifth-place finish at the NJCAA Region 2 Championship Oct. 24 (27:17.0), where the Eagles claimed the Region 2 crown. At the NJCAA Division II National Championship, he ran his second-best time of the year (27:12.4) and finished 61st nationally.

Fun Facts

Favorite athlete: Yaseen Abdalla

Favorite food: Burritos