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October 31, 2009 Ashley Shares (Stagg) took third-place honors in 20:24 and was named to the all-region first team. Marisela Rodriguez (Reavis) finished in 13th in 23:32. Both Cyclones advance to the national race November 14 at Newman Golf Course in Peoria. Also finishing for the Cyclones were Alejandra Dongo (Bremen) in 25th in 26:21, Melissa Janda (Stagg) in 28th in 26:44, Cristina Dongo (Bremen) in 30th in 28:03, and Julia Gonzalez in 35th in 30:13. “I am so pleased for Ashley and Marisela. They are to be commended for their achievement. Ashley has worked really hard this year and all her efforts have paid off. She still has work to do, but she’ll be ready. Marisela has run hurt since late September and the cold, slippery conditions didn’t help. But she was determined, and her finish sealed the deal. She has two weeks to get healthy and get ready to continue her good work,” said their coach, Mark Horstmeyer. For the rest of the team, the season has ended. “They can look back on how they performed at regionals and be very proud of their effort. I sure am. Alejandra and Cristina ran hurt most of the season, but they are competitors and they wanted to give it a go. This is Melissa’s first year of competition, and she made strides since coming to the sport less than a year ago. Julia also has been banged up most of the year, but she ends up with her best performance in terrible conditions. No telling what she could have done had she been healthy,” Horstmeyer said. “In fact, there’s no telling what all of the girls could have accomplished without the injuries. I’m excited for next season.”
October 27, 2009 A game effort fell just short of winning the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference championship for the Cyclones on Oct. 24, losing by two points to Elgin Community College. But all was not in vain as two harriers were named to the All-Conference first team. Inclement weather—rain, snow, wind, and cold—played a major role in preventing the runners from turning in good times over the wet and muddy 5k course on the campus of Waubonsee Community College. “It was less than ideal conditions for the kids, but that’s cross country and that’s the kind of October we’ve had this year,” said coach Mark Horstmeyer. Ashley Shares (Stagg) finished in the runner-up spot in 20:15 followed by Marisela Rodriguez (Reavis) in fifth at 23:38; Melissa Janda (Stagg) was next in 15th in 26:33 followed by Cristina Dongo (Bremen) in 18th in 28:05 and Julia Gonzalez (Sandburg) in 21st in 30:39. There were 24 runners and six teams in the meet. “I knew we would have a battle on our hands, and we did. Unfortunately, we came up just shy of our goal. Injuries played a big part this year in preventing us from being at full force and fit. Unfortunately, they caught up with us,” Horstmeyer said. “I’m pleased with the effort Ashley and Marisela gave us, and I congratulate them on making the All-Conference first team. Melissa, Cristina and Julia gave it all they had—injuries and illness have affected them for the past month, and we almost pulled it off. I’m appreciative of their effort.” Next up for the women is the NJCAA Region IV Division I championship on Saturday at Waubonsee. “There is a lot at stake. The girls have a shot at qualifying for the national championship. They know the course and the competition, so they should be ready to go after it,” Horstmeyer said.
October 19, 2009 As a final tune-up before the championship season gets underway, the Cyclones traveled to the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh to take part in the Brooks Invitational on Oct. 17 and came away with a good performance. Ashley Shares (Stagg), as she has all year, led the way over the rolling 6K Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne with a 23:53 clocking and a 140th place finish. Marisela Rodriguez (Reavis) was next across the finish line in 27:10 and in 372nd place. She was followed by Alejandra Dongo (Bremen) in 29:46 (446th place), Melissa Janda (Shepard) in 30:51 (457th place) and Julia Gonzalez at 36:11 in 464th place. There were 466 runners in the 34-team field. Moraine Valley, which finished 34th, was the only community college to compete. “Ashley had a really good outing. She broke 24 minutes for her 6K that included a strong finish,” said coach Mark Horstmeyer. “Marisela, Alejandra, Melissa, and Julia all ran despite still suffering from injuries and illness. I was pleased with their effort. It was a good workout for them given how fast the field was. The race was a great experience for our team. They ran against some of the top four-year schools in the nation and their performance gave them something to build on.” The Cyclones now start preparing for the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference championship on Saturday at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove and the NJCAA Region IV Division I championship at Waubonsee the following week. The NJCAA championship looms Nov. 14. “We have to get healthy and get our fitness back up,” Horstmeyer said. “The next four weeks are what we have been working for all season. I hope we can get over some lingering aches and pains.”
October 12, 2009 Shares, who has led the Cyclones all season, finished the hilly, wind-blown course in 20:17, good enough for 76th place out of 176 runners. “It was cold, very windy, and wet, and Ashley did well considering those conditions. I know she expected more, but she was up against really good competition from NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III, and NAIA schools. She was the only junior college runner in the field. That says a lot,” coach Mark Horstmeyer said. “She did a good job.” Shares and her teammates head to the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Brooks Invitational on Saturday as a final tune-up before the championship season gets underway. “This will be a good race for the team—the competition will again be outstanding as Oshkosh is hosting the Division III regional championship next month, and a lot of outstanding teams will compete,” Horstmeyer said. “It will be fast, and we’re hoping we can get some of Ashley’s teammates back.”
October 5, 2009 Only two Cyclones were able to step into the starting box on Oct. 3 at Wisconsin Lutheran College’s Warrior Invite in West Allis, but the two runners turned in their best effort thus far. Ashley Shares (Stagg) finished her first 6K (3.7 miles) over the rolling Greenfield Park course in fifth place in 24:41 while Julia Gonzalez (Sandburg) “gutted” out her first 6K and only her second race of the season. “Ashley had her best race of the year. She got in the mix of things and competed. We have talked all season about how she has to just get in with the lead pack and see what happens, and she realized after the first mile she had work to do, and she did it. She’s beginning to understand what she has to do and the adjustments she has to make during a race,” said coach Mark Horstmeyer. “I’m really pleased how well she did, considering this was the first time she has ever run a 6K.” Horstmeyer also had high praise for Gonzalez, who finished in 112th place in 40:01. “Julia’s place and time don’t tell the story. She refused to quit even after she fell and was running pretty much on one healthy leg. I really commend her for sticking in there. She just refused to quit. That says a lot about the kind of runner she is,” said her coach. “I’m really proud of her effort.” There were 113 runners in the field of 12 teams. Moraine Valley was unable to put a whole team on the starting line because of nagging injuries to three members. “We decided to give them another week off for recovery. We’re hoping they will be good to go next week,” Horstmeyer said. The Cyclones travel on Saturday to the Lucian Rosa Invitational at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. “This a challenging course, but one we expect to do well on given the fact that it’s so similar to the forest preserves we run in every day.”
September 28, 2009 The Cyclones again came away with a pleasing performance on Sept. 26, finishing 10th at Lake Forest College’s Forester Invitational in Vernon Hills and again showing their competitive improvement. Ashley Shares (Stagg) led the way again over the 5K course with an 8th place finish in 19:45. She was followed by Alejandra Dongo (Bremen) in 75th in 22:38, Cristina Dongo (Bremen) in 94th place in 24:38, Melissa Janda in 102nd in 26:17, and Julia Gonzalez in 116th place in 30:20. There were 118 runners and 11 teams competing. “The girls turned in a good showing,” said coach Mark Horstmeyer. “They continued to drop their times despite having to deal with some soreness. Ashley is gaining more and more experience at how to run at this level. Alejandra is determined to run even though her legs are really sore and Cristina is leaps and bound ahead of last year. Melissa learned more on Saturday on how to race that will help next week, and Julia had her first experience not only as a competitor but also as a collegiate runner.” Next up for the women is Wisconsin Lutheran College’s Warrior Invite on Saturday. “This will be a challenging race for them. The field will be solid, the course will present a good test, and they will race over a longer distance for the first time,” Horstmeyer said. “I think they have what it takes to continue their progress.”
September 21, 2009 Again led by Ashley Shares (Stagg) in 80th place out of 306 runners in 19:54, the women’s team finished 23rd of 31 teams over the rolling 5K course on ISU’s golf course. Alejandra Dongo (Bremen) was next in 233rd in 23:20 and Marisela Rodriguez (Reavis) was a step behind in 234th in 23:20. Cristina Dongo (Bremen) finished in 278th place in 25:53 while Melissa Janda rounded out the scoring in 283rd in 26:03. “I was really pleased with their effort and their result,” said coach Mark Horstmeyer. “This was a very competitive race and very fast, and the girls got into the mix and did well. I know they were excited with their results, but at the same time they know they can do better. They will too.” Next up for the women is Lake Forest College’s Forester Invitational on Saturday. “This is a fast course too and a competitive field, so we’re expecting good things again,” Horstmeyer said.
September 14, 2009 The Running Cyclones took sixth place at Olivet Nazarene University’s Midwest Classic on Sept. 11 as they improved upon their performances from the previous week. There were seven teams in the competitive 5K (3.1 mile) field run over the Aspen Ridge Golf Course in Bourbonnais. Leading the charge was Ashley Shares (Stagg), who ran 20:29 to finish 11th. She was followed across the line by Alejandra Dongo (Bremen) in 51st in 24:27, Marisela Rodriguez in 54th, in 24:32, Cristina Dongo in 62nd in 27:15, and Melissa Janda in 64th in 27:32. There were 67 runners who crossed the finish line. “For everyone but Cristina, this was their first 5K collegiate race, and under the circumstances they did well,” said coach Mark Horstmeyer. “They again learned from their first 5K race, and they will continue to get better. We’re a little banged up—Alejandra and Marisela are nursing some nagging soreness—and we have a couple of girls who are still out with injuries.” The Cyclones return to action on Friday at the Illinois Intercollegiate Cross Country Championships at Illinois State University. “This will be a very fast field on a fast course. I’m looking forward to seeing what these kids can do,” Horstmeyer said.
September 8, 2009 It was truly a learning experience for the Cyclones as they helped open the University of Wisconsin’s new cross country course on Sept. 4. The women finished fourth out of four teams on the rolling, grassy course that Badgers built this year to get it ready for the 2009 season. “This was the first collegiate race for all but one of our women,” said coach Mark Horstmeyer. “And to be a part of Wisconsin’s storied cross country history is a tremendous experience for them. This was something special. We are pleased we had an opportunity to be a part of the inaugural race.” Ashley Shares (Stagg) was the first Cyclone to traverse the 4K course and was followed by Alejandra Dongo (Bremen), Melissa Janda (Shepard), Marisela Rodriguez (Reavis), and Cristina Dongo (Bremen). “It was hot—something they haven’t been used to—and it was a small but very fast field,” Horstmeyer said. “They have a lot of things to get worked out, so Friday was good experience for them. I think they learned a lot about preparing and racing at the college level.”
September 3, 2009 |
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