Photo by mvcyclones.com
By: Joey Fernandez, Sports Editor
Cross Country: Historic day caps memorable season
The No. 15-ranked men’s cross country and No. 20-ranked women’s cross country teams concluded their seasons in historic fashion in Richmond, Va., for the NJCAA Division II championship.
Continuing to reach new heights, freshman Brandon Armendarez finished 24th overall (out of 221), becoming the first All-American runner in school history. Contributions by the team as a whole also propelled the men to a 12th place finish (out of 30), and the women to the 17th spot (out of 26).
Head coach Dimitri Dimizas believes this season’s catalyst was the bond team members formed.
“It’s far more than just the running side of it,” Dimizas explained. “There were so many new faces at the start, and I wasn’t sure how they’d all get along, but I believe a lot of the success that they experienced came down to them growing with each other, forming friendships, and caring for each other.”
With nationals being the finale to the season, the teams will begin the offseason looking to continue and build on their success for fall.
Men’s Basketball: Hot stretch sets up success
Playing two games this past week, the Cyclones had a pair of additions to the win column.
While the results were the same, getting there was completely different in the two games, with a 71-42 blowout win at Lincoln Land CC and a nail biter 74-71 win at Olive-Harvey College. Standout performers included freshman guard Anthony Taylor with 14 points and 16 rebounds against Lincoln Land, and sophomore guard Kobe Adams with a 27-point performance against Olive-Harvey College.
Sophomore guard Ethan Campagna is confident the team is putting together a collective effort every game while building chemistry and staying together.
“When one of us succeeds, we all succeed,” Campagna said. “Everyone is supportive and locked in at all times.”
The Cyclones’ attempt to improve their 2-1 record and keep the winning streak alive on Tuesday against Elmhurst University JV at 7 p.m. at home.
Photo by mvcyclones.com
Women’s basketball played three games this week, concluding with a record of 2-1 and bringing their overall record to 2-3.
Women’s Basketball: Coach reaches major milestone
Starting out 0-2 after the first weekend, the women’s basketball team bounced back on Tuesday with a close 54-52 win against Joliet Junior College that awarded head coach Delwyn Jones his 400th career win at MVCC.
Later in the week, the team traveled to Triton College for a weekend tournament.
Starting with Concordia University JV on Friday, the Cyclones had a convincing 67-56 win, including 14 points and 5 rebounds from Kirsten Kamholz. The team was unable to carry the momentum into the next round of the tournament, dropping a game to Lake Land College with a final score of 74-56.
The team feels that the path to success is in the smaller aspects of the game. Sophomore guard Kelsey Kelley hopes to bring in a different type of energy as a transfer student.
“Personal goals I have are to be an all-around player for this team, bringing every aspect of the game. Good offense, defense, and doing all the little things.”
Hopeful for a bounce back performance, the Cyclones will host Illinois Valley CC on Thursday at 5 p.m.
