Richmond, VA – The Indian Hills Men's & Women's Cross Country teams are set to compete on the national stage on Saturday as both squads head to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Cross Country National Championship.
This year's meet will be held at Pole Green Park in Richmond, VA. The men will open up the day with a shotgun start for the 8k event at 9:30 AM CST while the women will take their mark for their 5k event at 11:00 AM CST.
Both teams enter the meet nationally ranked as the men sit at No. 12 in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll while the women come in at No. 14. Both programs have had a consistent presence in the national rankings throughout the duration of the year.
The men's team brings a wealth of national championship experience to the 2021 meet as the Warriors return four runners from last season's team that placed seventh at the national event in Fort Dodge, IA. Sophomore Nick O'Connor (Tiffin, IA/Clear Creek Amana) led the charge for Indian Hills with an 18th place finish, good enough to earn USTFCCCA All-American status.
Chris Metz (Freeport, IL/Freeport) also fared well in his previous national competition, placing 35th overall last season. Teammates Colten Glosser (Packwood, IA/Pekin) and Isaac Bryant (Grinnell, IA/Grinnell-Newburg) followed behind with 47th and 50th place finishes, respectively, in the field of 148 runners. As a team, the Warriors scored 196 points for its best finish at a national championship.
The men are coming off a third-place finish at the NJCAA Region XI Championship in Waterloo, IA where Bryant paced the Warriors with a personal best time of 26:19.6 to finish 10th. O'Connor finished in 11th place with a time of 26:23.5.
The Indian Hills women have put together one of its best seasons in program history this year, led by a series of runners who recently set personal records at the team's penultimate meet, the NJCAA Region XI Championship. Saturday's meet will allow the Warriors to showcase their continuous improvement on a national platform.
Emily Casterline (Pella, IA/Belvidere) has paced the Warriors throughout the year and set a new personal best at the regional meet with a time of 20:05.8. Casterline has previously been named both the NJCAA and Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) DI Athlete of the Week throughout the season.
Also coming off a strong showing at the regional meet is Morgan Klaus (Bloomfield, IA/Davis County) who set a new personal best with a time of 20:51.1, good enough for a 13th place finish.
The regional meet saw a strong pack of Warriors cross the finish line in consecutive order, all with personal bests as Alexia McClure (Eldon, IA/Cardinal), Isabelle Mellin (Ottumwa, IA/Ottumwa) and Lizeth Flores (Harvard, IL/Harvard) placed 14th, 15th, and 16th respectively. Monse Chapula (Ottumwa, IA/Ottumwa) will lead the team as the lone Warrior with championship experience. Chapula finished with a time of 22:06.8 in last year's 5k meet.
Warrior fans can watch both races live via the NJCAA Network and can view pre-competition interviews via GoHillsTV. Live results will also be available here: LIVE RESULTS