Before the season even began, plenty of uncertainty surrounded the Cyclone men's cross country team. They were not in top anticipated running shape, had one runner who had yet to officially join the team and were still implementing caution around COVID-19. All that ultimately did not matter. The men far surpassed anyone's expectations, and that one runner became an All-American.

"We had to make training adjustments, but something worked. I just don't know why or how it worked," laughed Head Coach Dimitri Dimizas, culminating his sixth season leading the men's and women's programs. "I've never coached a team with this much improvement in one season."

It was really the second half of the schedule that became the turning point for the Cyclones. At the Ranger Open on Oct. 2, the men and women were upset with how slow they ran. Granted it was a hilly and tough course, but typically Cyclone runners have enjoyed it. Two weeks later, nearly everyone earned a personal best and realized their potential.

Part of that change stemmed from sophomores Jackson Sima, Juan Ramos and Jimmy Duffy. This trio believed in and emphasized the team-first mentality, which was crucial in bringing everyone together. They were on the team from the prior season that won the program's third Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference championship after four dry years while Sima was the 2020 Skyway Runner of the Year. They became the only three runners in the program's history to have back-to-back championships. While the coaches were aiming for a repeat Skyway championship at the start of the season, the team was aiming to race at nationals.

At the combined NJCAA Region IV and Skyway championships on Oct. 30, the men took first in conference and second in the region. Not only did they become the first team to repeat a conference championship, but they also had the most All-Region and All-Conference runners in the college's history, five and six, respectively. The team competed at the national tournament in Richmond, Virginia, on Nov. 13, along with the Cyclone women's team, and finished 12th out of 30 teams in the NJCAA Division II.

Ramos put in the most grind in the offseason, but suffered shin splits early on. For someone who only played soccer in high school, it was a testament that he earned All-Conference and All-Region honors, Dimizas said. He and Sima, who also earned All-Conference and All-Region, are looking to run at their to-be-determined transfer universities. Duffy, a two-time All-Conference runner, will focus his efforts on training to become a pilot.

The star of the team was a freshman who arrived just before the racing season was starting – Brandon Armendarez. The coaches knew he was fast, but not that fast. He was the top finisher all season, Skyway Runner of the Year after finishing first at the region/Skyway race, and became the men's program's first All-American runner after taking 24th place out of 221 competitors at nationals and running the second fastest time in the college's history.

Freshman Thomas Diaz was the consistent No. 3 runner all year. He battled injuries and fought through them at nationals, where he earned a personal record. Freshman Gavin Hampton surprised himself and Dimizas with how fast he became. Diaz and Hampton also earned All-Region and All-Conference honors. Scott Beveridge asked the coaches to take a chance on him, which paid off as he was the seventh necessary runner for the team at nationals. Nicholas Cunico and Ryan O'Connor weren't able to compete at the final meet, but each contributed to the team and grew. Cunico is a hard worker still learning to run at the college level while O'Connor was out with injury to start the season and still got faster every week and at every meet.

"I'm very happy with the season," Dimizas said. "We've got four of the top seven expected to return, and we'll rely heavily on them. Brandon said he wants to repeat as All-American, which is not easy. They all have to put in a lot of work in the offseason, especially with the loss of our three sophomores. They have a lot of potential."