Harper College sweeps NJCAA men's, women's titles for third year in a row

WESTFIELD, MASS. - The Fall of 2018 proved to be another banner year for Harper College cross country, which swept the NJCAA Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country National Championships for the third straight year at Stanley Park. The Hawks took the men's title for the eighth consecutive season with 38 points to win by 45 points over Sandhills Community College (NC), while the women's third crowning achievement also finished with 38 points to best Oxford Emory College (GA) by 51 points.

Harper sophomore Michael Sisko placed fifth with a time of 27:40.46 to lead a group of four runners from the program to place in the top ten after the 8,000-meter race. Tony Espinosa, Jacob Melgosa, and Jeff Glatz were right on his tail to grab the six through eight spots, with Jack Casey not far behind in 12th as each earned All-American accolades. Other finishers for the Hawks included Glen Garino in 25th and Caleb Inorio in 52nd. Joliet Junior College's Coby Hageman and Jaime Quintero finished in 26th and 64th overall, respectively.

A year after placing third overall, Harper sophomore Misbah Baig improved by one to grab second place with a time of 19:35.23, five seconds behind the individual champion. Rachel Temple and Taylor Kreiss ran to fourth and fifth place finishes, with Jessi Gessner taking 12th to round out the program's four All-American honorees. The Hawks also received a 25th place finish from Roxanne Temple, a 44th place time from Joslyn Gross, and a 48th place overall run by Sarah Nelson. Joliet Junior College's Ana Mendoza earned All-American status with a 13th place finish with a time of 21:03.59.

Additionally, the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association has announced additional awards, including Men's and Women's Coach of the Year honors for Jim Macnider and Central Region Women's Athlete of the Year to Baig.

(Photos courtesy of NJCAA.org)