Posted: Sep 17, 2024
Strong Showings By Men's and Women's Cross Country Teams In First Meet of 2024 CC Season
Strong Showings By Men's and Women's Cross Country Teams In First Meet of 2024 CC Season
Jaguars' men finish second place and beat #17 ranked St. Francis In Season Opener. - Daniel Zavala leads the way with an 11th place finish and secon overall of CCAC runners.
GovState Head Men's/Women's CC Coach John Niendorf liked what he saw of his Jaguars. "I was really proud of how the men competed out there (at St. Francis Meet). It was a hot, muggy day out in Channahon and they showed a lot of mental toughness out there on the course. The men were able to beat St. Francis, St. Ambrose, and Trinity in the conference, taking 2nd overall in the meet.
Daniel Zavala really took control of the race and earned himself a top 10 spot in the finish, only losing to one member of the conference. Colin O'Brien and Samuel Rocio stepped up big time as freshmen in their first collegiate race. It was nice to see Alex Ortiz put together, what I feel like, was his first solid collegiate cross race here at GSU. He works so hard, it's nice to see him have success.
Omar Mohamed looked strong as well, rounding out the top 5. I'm looking forward to watching his development throughout the season. Overall, I was pleased with the men's effort and I know they're going to continue to build on this throughout the season."
Coach Niendorf continued his praise on the women's team who finished third of 12 teams in the meet. "I loved what I saw out there from the women today. I think if you asked any of them how they felt about their performance, they would say they know they can do better."
Overall, it was nice to see them work hard through the race and not give in to the tough conditions. They were able to take 3rd overall in the meet, losing only to St. Francis and University of Chicago. That was a big step up from last year. Kaylee O'Sullivan, a freshman, led the pack and was able to get into the high 19s for the 5k.
Avery Kittl was second on the team and was able to break into the 19s as well for the first time in her young career. Krysta Stanko took third on the team and she was not happy with her performance. She has been putting in a lot of work over the summer and I know she is going to bounce back the next couple races. Morgan Pieczynski raced solid and was able to help us win a tight race with St. Ambrose.
Yahaira Rodriguez, Sydney Bonham, and Camila Mendez rounded out the top seven, finishing very closely to one another. This women's team has a lot of potential and I think that they will surprise a lot of people as the season progresses, said Coach Niendorf.
