Cyclone men's cross country kept making impressive moves until the final moments in their season capped at the NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championship at Pole Green Park in Richmond, Virginia.
For most of the season, the Cyclones were nationally ranked. Going into nationals, they were up to No. 15 among Division II colleges in the country. In Virginia, they finished 12th out of 30 teams while freshman Brandon Armendarez took 24th place out of 221 runners in the 8K distance in 26:36, earning him an All-American designation. He is the first Moraine Valley male runner to receive the honor and tied with David Alvarez for the second fastest finish in school history.
"I am shocked by the outcome. I definitely was not expecting to place the way I did to win an All-American title. Throughout the race, my body felt like magic. I felt solid in my physical and mental condition. The things (people) that motivated and drove me home to the finish kept refreshing in my head over and over throughout the entirety of the race, and that had a huge hand in my performance," Armendarez explained. "I am honored to become the first male to earn an All-American title and beyond thrilled to witness the future of my running career. I have truly never felt more sure about my abilities and passion for running than I do right now."
Following Armendarez across the line was Jackson Sima in 57th place in 27:57, Thomas Diaz in 87th in 28:36, Juan Ramos in 92nd in 28:47, Gavin Hampton in 120th in 29:21, Jimmy Duffy in 136th in 29:50 and Scott Beveridge in 138th in 29:51.
"The men saved the best for last. This was the first time we had our top seven all under 30 minutes, and it came at the perfect time. One of the goals was to finish close to their national ranking, and they surpassed it," said Head Coach Dimitri Dimizas. "Brandon's historic performance put the cherry on top of the season. He put himself in position for a top 25 finish early in the race and held on. Jackson ran smart, never getting passed after the second mile, ending with a big PR. Tom had been battling some injuries the past week but toughed it out for a PR. Juan and Gavin raced well, both kicked down two runners in the final straightaway, which was crucial in scoring. Jimmy and Scott worked together the whole race. They never got passed after the second mile and caught 20 runners the second half of the race. They were the wall that we needed. Everyone did an awesome job!"
