There is strength in numbers, and the Moraine Valley Community College women’s cross country team is feeling good about the full squad they have ready to race this fall.

In the preseason last year, the Cyclones had one runner but numbered four by the end of the season, still not enough to garner a team score. This year is a different story. They have three All-Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference runners back, two of whom competed at the national tournament, where they each earned a personal record.

Mariah Karamagianis (Sandburg) and Annabel Lipkie (Stagg) ran at the cross country championship in Alabama last November after earning All-Conference and All-Region honors their freshmen year. They put in the work this offseason and want to bring the entire team to the Big Dance this year. Sophomore Lizbeth Juarez-Castillo (Sandburg) suffered injuries last season and is trying to make a comeback. She is a good support for the team.

Desiree Mendoza (Bremen) is one of the fastest incoming freshman Head Coach Dimitri Dimizas has seen. Mia Villa (Reavis) is another fast newcomer whose brother is a Cyclone cross country alumnus. Both women should be the top runners. Rylee Milenkovic (Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences) ran cross country and played soccer in high school. She has plenty of potential thanks to her quiet, hard work ethic. Hannah Raimbault (Sandburg) brings positive energy to the team and comes from a solid high school program. She also has lots of potential to get faster as the season progresses, according to Dimizas.

As long as everyone stays healthy, this crew can do some damage on the race course.

“We have high hopes for them because there is a lot of potential. We have our two national qualifiers back and some fast incoming freshmen. They did well at summer training and have a good base coming in,” said Dimizas, who is in his ninth season at the helm. “Our No. 1 goal is to win conference. Our second goal is to get as many national qualifiers as possible. I look forward to seeing them compete.”

This season, Dimizas is implementing a new pre-run routine with more dynamic warmups for injury prevention. He is joined again by Assistant Coach David Alvarez.

For updates on Cyclones Athletics, visit mvcyclones.com.

 

For news media inquiries, contact Maura Vizza, Moraine Valley communications specialist and sports information coordinator, at (708) 974-5742 or Vizzam@morainevalley.edu.