Although eight years doesn't seem like a long time, it was for the Cyclones in their drive for a regional championship. They got what they worked hard for at the NJCAA Region 4 Championship along with a trip to nationals.
This crown is the third title for the Cyclones overall and the first time they've won it since 2017.
"We were favorites going into this race, but the men still needed to execute and get the job done," said Head Coach Dimitri Dimizas. "Seven of the 10 men ran PRs, and on a course like this it shows me just how bad they wanted to win."
Freshmen Andrew Leon, David Santiago, Angelo Esparza and Gavin Rybicki have been the consistent top four runners all season, and they needed to maintain their focus over the challenging 8K course, which they did well.
Leon led the way again for the Cyclones with a strong second place finish out of 37 runners in 28:09.22. Santiago had his best race all season, crossing the line right behind his teammate in 28:26.39 for third place. The only running Esparza has done the past three weeks has been at meets, but his toughness prevailed as he followed Santiago in 28:37.66 for fourth place. Rybicki has been inching closer all season to breaking 29 minutes and he came close in 29:07.86 for sixth place. Brennan Rudolph (30:06.34, 11th place), Matthew Busch (30:13.02, 12th place) and Jacob Madera (30:37.54, 14th place) had their best races as Cyclones. They stepped up when they needed to help solidify the score. Juan Macias has been dealing with a minor injury for a few weeks and was limited in his running but held on to 30:44.20 for 15th place. These eight earned All-Region honors for their efforts.
Jacob Silva (31:39.05, 17th place) and Josue Trujillo (34:18.51, 23rd place) each improved their times by over a minute for a solid end to the regular season. Trujillo ended his sophomore year running more than three minutes faster than last season, but according to Dimizas, "It's no surprise knowing the amount of work he's put into this."
"Just like the women's team that also won the region championship, we'll wait to see the national rankings and make some goals heading into nationals. I know the men have a lot to prove, and I'm excited to see what they'll do," Dimizas added.
In addition to the team accomplishments, Assistant Coach David Alvarez became the only Cyclones cross country coach, and likely the only coach in Moraine Valley Athletics history, to win a region title as an athlete (2017) and as a coach (2025).
The women also won the region championship, making it the first time in Cyclones history both teams won the same year.
For complete results, visit here.
The Cyclones will race at the NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championship in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Nov. 8.