It was a battle against the elements for the members of the Illinois Valley Community College women’s cross country team who traveled to Iowa Nov. 8 for the NJCAA Cross Country Championships.
Not only did the Eagles have to take on more than 300 of the best Division 2 runners in the country; they had to race in harsh wintery conditions. More than 2 inches of snow reportedly fell on Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa on Saturday with temperatures in the 30s.
“It certainly wasn’t the weather we were expecting, but our women went out and gave it everything they had in tough conditions,” Matt Baker, IVCC head cross country coach said. “This was a once in a lifetime experience. I’m just incredibly proud of all our runners this year and what they were able to accomplish.”
Freshmen Addyson Miller was the first Eagle to cross the finish line of the 5KM course in 216th place with a time of 24:21. She was followed by sophomore Tatiana Serna (292nd place, 27:01) and freshman Sophia Woods (308th place, 27:48).
This was the first visit to a national championship meet for the IVCC cross country program, which is in its third year.
The competitive season is over for the Eagles, but they will be hosting the IVCC Eagles Run, a 5KM and 2-Mile race open to high school and junior high runners, at Catlin Park, Ottawa on Saturday, Nov. 15. Contact coach Baker at [email protected] for more information.