From the start of the Cyclone women's cross country season to the end, few expected the double championship, multiple honors and trip to nationals, but this crew proved they had the patience and perseverance to excel.
Although the Cyclones had loads of talent and speed on the team, everyone sustained an injury at some point and missed at least one meet except freshman Maria Thurman, but even she gritted through pain. It wasn't until the fourth race of the year that they fielded a full squad and finished third. The following race they rested a few runners and were back to a full roster at the NJCAA Region IV and Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference combined championship race on Oct. 30. Going in, the nationally ranked Sandburg College Chargers were the favorite to win, and the Cyclones only aimed to defeat Sauk Valley Community College for second place.
"Usually the favorite going into the region and Skyway championships wins, and we weren't for the region. Sandburg was the heavy favorite. Them and Sauk Valley had faster runners, but our women had the best day. It was a pleasant surprise," said Head Coach Dimitri Dimizas, after his sixth season leading the women's and men's programs.
After the women finished, Dimizas and his Assistant Coach Aaron Roe saw they won the whole thing by one point. They went to the timing company to make sure there weren't any mistakes. There weren't. They defeated the favorites by the slimmest of margins for the region and conference championship. This is the program's fifth region and ninth conference championship.
"We brought the women together and went through the scoring from all teams backwards. We got to Sandburg in second place and said Moraine Valley was one point higher. The yell that they all made together was the best single moment of the year," Dimizas recalled.
After their region championship, the Cyclones were nationally ranked No. 20 for the first time. The team raced at the NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in Richmond, Virginia, on Nov. 13 and defeated Sandburg once again, one of the team's goals at the Big Dance. They finished 17th out of 26 teams. Natalia Wrobel led the squad with a 44th place finish.
The key to all that success was patience and perseverance. The fastest recruits, Wrobel and Isabelle Vaccaro, lived up to their expectation, but the team had to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel and endure plenty of pep talks from the coaches, which paid off. Wrobel earned one of the fastest top 10 5K times in the program's history and was one second from the conference and region individual title. Her goal is to win it next year.
But it's the same goal for her teammates Vaccaro and Olivia Wrobel, who wasn't able to race this season but is expected to return next fall. As Natalia and Vaccaro increased their speed this season, their confidence grew and they continued achieving, Dimizas explained. Both missed a few meets, but they still improved, got stronger and each earned All-Region and All-Conference honors. Thurman was a solid contributor, running every meet even when hurt. She also earned All-Region and All-Conference honors along with sophomore Jasmeene Guido, who was pivotal in the region championship. She was ranked No. 22 going into that race and made a big jump to an 11th-place finish. Sophomore Stephanie Tuscher struggled through injury all season and last year but toughed out many races. The team needed her to win championships as the No. 5 runner. She crossed the finish line before Sandburg's final finisher at regionals for the team win.
Dimizas also doles some credit to his assistant coach, Roe, in his first full season with the team. He was another necessary leader with the running knowledge, sometimes running with the team, to help them on the right path. Collectively, it was a winning combination.
"Going into the season, a conference championship was the goal. The region championship was completely unexpected. Now we're looking ahead to the women finishing in the top 10 in the nation if our top four runners come back healthy. And, they can do it," Dimizas said.