- Head coach Michael Melchert named Coach of the Year
- Sophomore Grace Collins and freshman Jaycie Vohs join Spencer on all-region first team and all-conference second team
- Sophomore Tori Yunggebauer and freshman Abigail Harding also honored
Five members of the DMACC women's cross country team and head coach Michael Melchert have been honored by the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) for their success during the fall season.
Team honorees included sophomores Kayden Spencer of Boone, Grace Collins of Johnston, Tori Yunggebauer of Williamsburg and Abigail Harding of Iowa Falls and freshman Jaycie Vohs of Galva.
Spencer, who won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II, Region 11 individual championship October 25 at Ottumwa and lead the Bears to the Division II, Region 11 team championship, was named the 2024 Athlete of the Year. She was also named to the second all-conference team and the Division II Region 11 First Team. In addition, Spencer has been named the ICCAC Athlete of the Week for Division II Women's Cross Country for the Week of October 21-27, the fifth time this fall that she has been honored by the conference.
Spencer won the Division II, Region 11 championship with a time of 19 minutes, 21 seconds over the 5K course, her fastest time of the season. Her career best for that distance is 19:15 in the 2023 NJCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.
Collins and Vohs joined Spencer on the all-conference second team and the Division II All-Region First Team. They finished second and third behind Spencer in the Division II, Region 11 Championship.
Yunggebauer and Harding earned all-conference honorable mention and were named to the Division II All-Region Second Team. They finished sixth and seventh respectively in the NJCAA Division II Region 11 championship,
Melchert, in his fifth season as the DMACC women's cross country coach, was named the Division II Coach of the Year.
The DMACC women's cross country team will compete in the NJCAA Division II Cross Country National Championship Nov. 9 at Richmond, Va.