When Mia Villa wasn’t attending classes or training with the cross country team this summer and fall, she was chasing after foul balls and cheering on her beloved White Sox as an official ball girl.
Last season, the Cyclones started with one woman on the team. This year, the full team of seven recaptured both the conference and region championships, the latter in a stunning victory to earn a trip to nationals to end the season.
In their biggest 5K race of the season on the largest stage, the Cyclones women’s cross country team continued to run with guts as they have all season. They finished 26th out of 41 teams at the NJCAA Division II Championship at Pole Green Park in Richmond, Virginia.
When it mattered most, Cyclones women’s cross country ran their fastest race of the season, besting nationally ranked favorites Carl Sandburg College by one point for the NJCAA Region 4 Championship at Lockport High School.
For the eighth time in 11 years, the Cyclones women’s cross country team has captured the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference championship. They took first at the Northwestern Medicine Cross Country Course in Geneva, IL.
The Cyclones had a nice confidence boost at the Warrior Invitational at Wisconsin Lutheran College in West Allis, WI, placing sixth out of seven teams. They were the only community college in the 6K race.
As the only community college in a running field of NCAA Division III colleges, the Cyclones finished 8th out of 10 teams at the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational at Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island.
Despite not having a full squad race due to injuries, the Cyclones women’s team ran impressive times in their first 6K of the season at the Spartan Classic at the Northwestern Medicine Cross Country Course in Geneva, IL.
In their opening race at the Saints Twilight Invite in Channahon, IL, the women got off on the right foot, finishing 7th among 10 four- and two-year colleges and universities in the 5K event.