For the fourth year in a row, the Cyclones captured the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Championship. Four runners also earned honors.
It's never easy to repeat success, but the Cyclones have locked down the recipe. Not only did they take the crown again, but their runners finished first and second.
As he's done all season, Jack Kajmowicz led the way for the Cyclones, crossing the line in first place in 29:00.1. That makes him Skyway Runner of the Year. Andrew Sima was second in 29:17.3 for the one-two punch.
"Jack and Andrew had the goal of finishing 1-2, and that was something we needed to happen in order to have a chance. They have different racing styles, so we came up with a plan that would benefit them both, and it seemed to work," said Head Coach Dimitri Dimizas, who also earned Skyway Coach of the Year. "One of Jack's goals from early on was to be the individual conference champ this season. He took the reins right from the start. I am so proud he was able to accomplish that. Andrew's energy is key to his performance, and his attitude the days leading up to the race showed he was ready to go. He never backed down even when he found himself in fifth place early on. He remained patient, trusted himself and kept moving up."
Also earning All-Conference honors were Demario Angarita, who raced to eighth place in 31:39.2 for a PR, and Joel Vargas-Cortes, who finished 10th in 33:03.5. Robert Slezak rounded out the team in 14th in 35:29.7.
"Demario's and Joel's performances were crucial. They've both been dealing with injuries, and a big portion of points were in their hands. At the second mile, we were in second place as a team. They both moved up to pass people and swung the score in our favor. Demario's PR on that course and Joel's performance, the latter who hasn't run more than five minutes at a time in over a month, showed what kind of character they have. I am so happy they earned All-Conference honors," Dimizas commented. "Robert has been such a joy to watch. He was forced into that all important fifth man role. Even though he was nervous, he did exactly what he needed to do to earn us important points but also hold off the runners behind him to solidify the championship."
Morton College finished second and Waubonsee Community College took third. The Cyclones had two runners who could not race due to injury, so every finisher was key for this victory.
"I have been very fortunate to be a part of many different conference championship teams over the years, but I really think this victory was the sweetest. We had always been in position as the favorites anytime we won the title. About a week ago, we had to rule out Noah [Rigoni-Kreczmer] and Nate [Diaz] for the rest of the season due to their injuries, and that put us in a unique underdog position with many questions heading into this race," Dimizas said.
Next up for the Cyclones is the NJCAA Region 4 championship on Saturday, Oct. 28, on the Northwestern Medicine Cross Country Course in Batavia. This determines who will compete at the national championship in Alabama next month.