- Bears score 162 points in finishing fifth
- Four DMACC runners place in the top 30
- DMACC has the best performance of the four Iowa community college teams running in the meet
Freshman Kayden Spencer of Boone earned All-American status with a 15th-place finish in leading the DMACC women's cross country team to fifth place in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) 2023 Division II Cross Country Championships November 11 at Huntsville, Ala.
The Bears saw four runners place in the top 30 as they scored 162 points in finishing fifth. Cowley College (CC) took the team championship with 66 points and Olivia Ippel of Lake Michigan College (LMC) won the individual competition with a time of 17 minutes, 56 seconds over the 5K course.
Spencer's time was 19:15 and she improved her position throughout the race. She was 48th at the 1.6K mark and 22nd at the 3.2K mark.
DMACC freshmen Grace Collins of Johnston, sophomore Mkenzie Robinson of Marshalltown and freshman Tori Yunggebauer of Williamsburg all finished in the top 30. Collins was 21st in 19:34, Robinson placed 27th in 19:57 and Yunggebauer was 30th in 20:03. Sophomore Jillian Prouty of Oelwein rounded out DMACC's scoring with a 77th-place finish in 21:03.
All four runners improved their positions throughout the race. Collins was 29th at the 1.6K mark and 23rd at the 3.2K mark. Robinson was 57th at the 1.6K mark and 32nd at the 3.2K mark. Yunggebauer was 79th at the 1.6K mark and 51st at the 3.2K mark and Prouty was 108th at the 1.6K mark and 100th at the 3.2K mark.
Two other DMACC runners, sophomores Madison Beaune of Jewell and Mercedes Beaune of Jewell also competed in the race. Madison Beaune was 99th in 21:42 and Mercedes Beaune finished in 190th place with a time of 24:19.
DMACC's finish was the best of the four Iowa community college teams entered in the race. Southeastern Community College (SECC) finished ninth, North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) was 19th and Hawkeye Community College (HCC) finished in 25th place.
The meet closed out the season for the DMACC women's cross country team.