With personal bests and grinding effort, the Cyclones took second place at the NJCAA Region 4 Championship at Lockport High School. Four runners qualified to run at the national tournament next month.
"The men ran well, and I can't fault their effort. It was actually the fastest team race of the season. We had a handful of PR's, and they should all be happy with their performances," said Head Coach Dimitri Dimizas. "We knew winning as a team was a reach. Sauk Valley had been consistent all season, and they stepped up. Our goal was to get as many All-Region runners as possible with the hopes of it being enough to qualify as a team, but we just missed out."
Andrew Sima was back as the top Cyclone runner, finishing in fourth overall in 28:24.8. "He went out how he needed to and ran a solid race," Dimizas said.
Santana Garcia was not far behind, finishing in fifth place in 28:31.3 while Joel Vargas-Cortes crossed the line in seventh in 28:33.4. "Santana and Joel have been a joy to watch the past two races. They've been working together in practices, and it's translated to their racing," Dimizas noted. "They passed a bunch of people after the first mile and finished right where we needed them to - both earning big PR's along the way."
Noah Rigoni-Kreczmer finished in 14th place in 29:33.3, good enough for a PR. "He accomplished two things he's been aiming for - he PR'd and he qualified for nationals. I'm so proud of him for that," Dimizas said.
Only the top 15 finishers earn All-Region honors and qualify to compete at the NJCAA Cross Country Championship, which included Sima, Garcia, Vargas-Cortes and Rigoni-Kreczmer.
Demario Angarita came across next in 18th place in 29:53.7. "He went out hard, putting himself in a top 15 spot early, but it just wasn't his day. I can't fault his mindset, but I do feel for him though," Dimizas said. "He's improved a lot since last season, so I hope he leaves with his head held high."
Brennan Rudolph (30:51.6, 22nd place) and Jesse Correa (32:12.4, 27th place) made big leaps by breaking 31 minutes and 33 minutes, respectively. "They should be proud of the improvements they've made throughout the season" Dimizas said.
Robert Slezak crossed in 33:32.6 in 33rd place. "Just two meets ago, Robert had a goal of breaking 35 minutes. He got that, and then today he broke 34 minutes, which was amazing," Dimizas explained.
Josue Trujillo just missed his PR (37:41.2, 40th place). "For someone who's been on and off of running due to injury, it was a great performance," Dimizas said.
Jacob Madera suffered an injury about halfway through the race and had to stop. "He had a good start and had been on a streak of good races, but I know he'll bounce back from this," Dimizas said.
"It's sad that this was the last time this team will be together, but they go out as conference champs and earned a plaque for region runner-up," Dimizas said. "Now our four qualifiers will represent their teammates in two weeks."
The Cyclones women's team and four men will compete at the NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championship on Saturday, Nov. 9, in Richmond, Virginia.
For a complete list of results, visit here.