November 20, 2019 - The Kishwaukee Mens and Womens Cross Country teams wrapped up the fall season with two meets and had one member of the mens team qualify for NJCAA nationals.
BENEDICTINE UNIVERSITY EAGLE INVITE
Kish cross traveled to Warrenville, Illinois on October 11 for the Benedictine Eagle invite. The women's race featured #7 ranked (NCAA D-III national rankings) University of Chicago. Anne Hickey led the way for the women, finishing the 6K race in 27:27, good for 50th overall and 7th among Juco runners. The time was also a PR by over a minute! Riley Limon followed her in with a PR of her own, 35:52 which was an 8 minute improvement on her previous best!
The Kougar men kept the PR train going, with three runners posting their lifetime bests in the 8K race. Jonathan Landis led the way with a 10 second PR, finishing as the 11th Juco runner. Andrew Brening was next in for Kish with a 62 second PR in 33:43, and Adrian Ruiz improved by 49 seconds running 34:11. Ian Harrison was the final finisher on the day, running 36:08.
REGION IV CHAMPIONSHIPS
The biggest meet of the year saw Kishwaukee travel to Galesburg, Illinois on October 26 for the Region IV Championships held by Carl Sandburg. The top two teams and top 15 individuals in each race would qualify for the national meet. In the women's race, Anne Hickey set a personal best in the 5K with her time of 22:01, kicking down multiple runners in the final straight to do so. Riley Limon again set a huge PR, dropping 5:02 and finishing in 27:42.
The men's race was a rollercoaster finish. Dewey Landis was the top finisher, running a flawless race and a 40 second PR to set a new school record in 28:40. His 12th place finish was enough to be the first Kishwaukee men's runner to qualify for the national meet. Adrian Ruiz matched his season best of 34:11 from Benedictine, but Andrew Brening, Ian Harrison, and Robert Hanson all struggled with injuries partway through the race. They finished in 35:22 and 39:04 respectively, good for 67th and 72nd. Hanson, on PR pace through 2 miles, finished in 41:43, his second best time ever.
NJCAA NATIONALS
The trip to Albuquerque on November 9 was a great experience for Sophomore Jonathan "Dewey" Landis. The Sterling High School product finished his career at the highest level after a stellar high school career and a 2 year stint on the injury list. Toeing the line with the nation's best, it was important to run a smart and even-paced race. Landis went out on pace, running 10:30 for 3K before stepping on a piece of wood that became lodged on his spike. After trying to knock it off, Landis settled in and dealt with the discomfort for another 3 whole miles. Despite the difficulty, he was still on PR pace through 4 miles, crossing a timing mat in 23:27 and 211th place. Dewey let loose after that, splitting his last mile in 5:05 and passing 8 runners in the process! The final result was an 8-second PR, 28:32, re-setting the school record and finishing in 203rd.