Sauk Valley, DuPage sprint to Region 4 championships
LOCKPORT, ILL. - When the dust settled at the 2024 NJCAA Region 4 Men's Cross Country Championships, Sauk Valley Community College and the College of DuPage had successfully run through the finish line to claim championship titles in Divisions II and III, respectively. The Skyhawks ended a three-year run of success by Carl Sandburg College en route to their first-ever Region 4 title after finishing runner-up last year, while the Chaparrals won their third crown in the last four years. Waubonsee Community College freshman David Valkanov and COD's Kevin Diederich were the Region 4 Runners of the Year after taking home individual titles. Nick Hartz of SVCC and Mallory Dominguez of DuPage are the Region 4 Coach of the Year recipients.
2024 NJCAA Region 4 Division II & III Men's & Women's Cross Country Championships Final Results
Sauk Valley Community College finished with 35 points, with Moraine Valley Community College taking runner-up honors with 46 points. Third place Waubonsee had 69 points, followed by the defending champion Chargers in fourth at 85 points. Illinois Valley Community College rounded out the scores with 125 points to place fifth. The Skyhawks were led by second and third place finishes from Benjamin Plachno and Charles Link, respectively. Valkanov posted a time of 25:48.6 to edge Plachno by 50-plus seconds, giving Plachno his second consecutive second place run at the Region 4 meet. The 2024 NJCAA Division II Men's Cross Country Championships are November 9 in Richmond, Virginia. (Recaps: Waubonsee)
The College of DuPage put five runners in the top ten en route to 26 points and a 19-point victory over runner-up and defending champions Harper College with 45 points. Host Joliet Junior College placed third with 57 points. Diederich successfully repeated as Runner of the Year with a 26:19.7 time as he narrowly beat the Wolves Nathan Ciarlette by five seconds. Miguel Capulin gave the Chaps a fourth place finish, while COD also claimed spots sixth through eight. The 2024 NJCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championships are also in Richmond, Virginia, on November 9. (Recaps: DuPage)
(Images courtesy of Sauk Valley Community College Athletics & College of DuPage Athletics)
2024 All-Region Teams
Division II
First Team
David Valkanov - Waubonsee Community College
Benjamin Plachno - Sauk Valley Community College
Charles Link - Sauk Valley Community College
Andrew Sima - Moraine Valley Community College
Santana Garcia - Moraine Valley Community College
Second Team
Dayton Beatty - Waubonsee Community College
Joel Vargas-Cortes - Moraine Valley Community College
Tyson Skinner - Sauk Valley Community College
Elijah House - Sauk Valley Community College
Titus Kimutai
Third Team
Luis Baez - Waubonsee Community College
Mathias Kiprotich - Carl Sandburg College
Carson Jones - Sauk Valley Community College
Noah Rigoni-Kreczmer - Moraine Valley Community College
Riley Collins - Kishwaukee College
2024 Region 4 Athlete of the Year
David Valkanov - Waubonsee Community College
2024 Region 4 Coach of the Year
Nick Hartz - Sauk Valley Community College
Division III
First Team
Kevin Diederich - College of DuPage
Nathan Ciarlette - Joliet Junior College
Owen Whelan - Harper College
Miguel Capulin - College of DuPage
Gavin Carlson - Joliet Junior College
2024 Region 4 Athlete of the Year
Kevin Diederich - College of DuPage
2024 Region 4 Coach of the Year
Mallory Dominguez - College of DuPage