June 14, 2007
Moraine Valley earns the 2007 Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference
All-Sports Trophy; Coughlin named to conference's Hall of Fame
Moraine Valley has won the 2006-07 Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference All Sports Trophy.

Moraine Valley earned conference championships in women's basketball, cross country, and volleyball, and also a co-championship in men's tennis. Conference coach of the year honors went to Delwyn Jones, women's basketball; Mark Horstmeyer, women's cross country; Gloria Coughlin, women's volleyball; and Bill Finn, men's tennis, who earned co-coach of the year honors.

Additionally, 35 student-athletes earned Academic Athlete of the Year honors, composing nearly one-third of the conference's athletes who earned the distinction.

Coughlin also was named to the conference Hall of Fame. She has been head coach of the Moraine Valley's women's since 1988, and also coached the men's volleyball team from 1997-2000, earning six conference championships (women's team in 1989, 1992, 2005 and 2006; men's team in 1998 and 1999) and ending the 2006-07 season with a comprehensive coaching record of 331-203. In addition to her coaching role, she serves as the Academic Advisor for student-athletes at Moraine Valley. 'Gloria puts student first, and her most important goal is that each student she encounters has success at the college athletically and academically,' said Bill Finn, director of Athletics. Coughlin played for Michigan State University, and each one of her three daughters played NCAA Division I volleyball.

                 

LEFT: Bill Finn (right), director of Athletics at Moraine Valley, accepts the 2006-07 Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference's All-Sports Trophy from Kent Payne, director of Athletics at Elgin Community College.
RIGHT: Gloria Coughlin receives an honorary plaque from Bill Finn, director of Athletics at Moraine Valley, for being named to the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference Hall of Fame for her volleyball coaching career.

March 20, 2007
Moraine Valley runners earn Academic All-American honors
Two members of the Moraine Valley women's cross country team and one member of the men's team were selected as Academic All-American for 2006 by the National Junior College Cross Country Coaches Association, and the Cyclones women's team was ranked 14th as an Academic All-American team. Over the past six years, Moraine Valley's cross country teams have fielded 19 Academic All-Americans.

Jerry Thor and Veronica Canseco, both of Justice, and Marisol Perez of Blue Island were named to the association's Academic All-American team. Sharon and Sandra Hubbard, both of Hickory Hills, Maggie Smorczewska of Justice, Lisa Reitz of Oak Lawn, and Perez and Canseco were members of the college's Academic All-American team.

'We are very proud of them,' Coach Mark Horstmeyer said. 'These scholar-athletes are simply outstanding. They attend class full time, work part time, and excel as athletes and students. Their performance on and off the field speaks highly of them. I am very proud of their achievement. It is a tremendous honor for them and Moraine Valley.'

Miller and Kurecki, both of whom were named to all-region and all-conference teams, recorded their fastest times of the season crossing the finishing line in 27:52 and 27:58 respectively. Miller, a freshman from Oak Lawn High School, placed 140th of 206 runners and Kurecki, a sophomore from Bremen High School, cross the line in 143rd place.

'They were really determined to do well on the national stage,' said Coach Mark Horstmeyer. 'We discussed the fact that if they ran smart races, they could break 28 minutes which is simply outstanding. They ran together to help each other succeed. You can't ask anything more from your runners. I'm very proud of their accomplishment, especially in such a competitive international field.'

Kurecki and Miller led the men's team to third place at the NJCAA Division I, Region IV championship October 28 with ninth- and tenth-place finishes—resulting in all-region honors and a trip to the national meet. Miller and Kurecki also led their team to third place at the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference championship October 21, where they also earned all-conference recognition.

The men's team almost qualified for the national race but came up one point short. Also scoring for the Cyclones were Anthony Kmetz (Illiana Christian) in 14th place, Frank Sustersic (Stagg) in 20th place, David Hernandez (Argo) in 23rd place, Juan Delfin (Eisenhower) in 25th place, and Jerry Thor (Argo) in 45th place.

'The guys finished the season on a strong note,' said Horstmeyer. I'm proud of the effort the team made. To nearly beat the team who beat them handily the week before says something about how they performed at Regional. We have a lot to point toward next fall.'

'They had three goals this year,' said Coach Mark Horstmeyer. 'They wanted to win conference and regional titles and place in the top 20 at nationals. They accomplished all three.'

The Cyclones headed into the national championship with a 22nd place national ranking after dominating the NJCAA Division I , Region IV championship on October 28 and the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference championship October 21. 'I told the kids before the race on Saturday (November 4) that I thought they were better than what the rankings indicated, and they had the opportunity to prove it,' Horstmeyer said.

Led by Marisol Perez (Eisenhower) in 85th place, the Cyclones did just that. Sandra Hubbard (Stagg) was next across the finish line in 94th place followed by Lisa Reitz (Oak Lawn) in 98th, Nicki Hogan (Evergreen Park) in 113th, Maggie Smorczewska (Argo) in 139th, Janet Arreola (Hubbard) in 160th, and Sharon Hubbard (Stagg) in 161st place. There were 28 teams and 200 individual runners in the national meet.

'I am really proud of all they achieved this year and their effort to succeed,' Horstmeyer said. 'They worked hard over the summer, sloshed through a lot of cold and wet mornings this fall and kept their focus on improving every week. They were dedicated to being winners, and they are.'

The 2006 Cyclones became the second team since the cross country program began in 2000 to win conference and regional titles; the first double championship came in 2003. Moraine Valley won the Region IV championship this year with 25 points to outdistance the rest of the field by 23 points.

'It's extremely tough to run against the same teams in championship races two weekends in a row and come out on top. That's what made their victory so sweet. They were even more impressive at regional than they were winning conference,' Horstmeyer said.

Named to the all-region team were Reitz (2nd), Perez (3rd), Hogan (7th)—she also was all-region last year—and Sandra Hubbard (8th). Also placing for the Cyclones were Arreola (12th), Sharon Hubbard (15th), and Smorczewska (16th). Horstmeyer was named Region IV Women's Coach of the Year.

The Cyclones also ran away with the conference championship scoring 29 points to outpace the field by 18 points. This time Perez led with a second-place finish and was followed by Reitz (3rd), Hogan (7th), Sandra Hubbard (8th), and Sharon Hubbard (9th). They were named all-conference. Hogan also earned all-conference in 2005. Additionally, Arreola placed 11th, Smorczewska placed 12th, Veronica Canseco finished 15th, and Marisol Ortiz came in 17th place. Horstmeyer also was named the conference women's coach of the year.

The first race of the year was an indication of good things to come for Cyclones when they won the Harper College Invitational on August 26. They became the first Moraine Valley cross country team to win three races in the same year.

'They saw then what the opportunities were if they dedicated themselves to putting in their best effort day in and day out,' Horstmeyer said. 'We had to fight through some injuries and overcome a lot of bad weather that limited some of our workouts. In the end, however, when they toed the starting line at the national championship, they knew that all the adversity had been worth it. I know they can't wait until next year. Neither can I.'

The women's team will fly to Dublin on October 8, and return to the states on October 14 to complete the rest of their three-month season. To raise money for the trip, team members are holding an 'Alumni Night' fundraiser Thursday, Aug. 31, at their 6 p.m. home game against conference opponent Waubonsee Community College. Former Moraine Valley volleyball players and coaches have been invited to the game and will be on hand that evening to show their support for the team, as well as offer financial donations to help subsidize the cost of the trip. Alumni Night is also open to the public, and donations will be accepted on behalf of the team to help with travel costs. In addition, gray and white fundraiser T-shirts are available through the college's Athletics department for $15. For details, call (708) 974-5727.