Spartans' Oates win Div. 2 race
Oct. 30—Like Dorothy in the classic "The Wizard of Oz" said, "There's no place like home."
Southwestern Community College hosted the Region 11 cross country championship meet Friday and had more to it after it was all over.
Spartans sophomore Chase Oates won the Division II individual championship in 26:49 and had no serious threat as second place was 26 seconds behind. Runners and fans had mostly sunny skies but with temperatures hovering around 40 degrees and stiff winds.
"The weather played out perfect for us," said Southwestern coach Scott Vicker. "We wanted it a bit colder and windier as that would give our guys a little bit of an advantage." And with Oates being from Minnesota, known for its cold weather tendencies "that was right up his wheelhouse."
Vicker said Oates, a sophomore, is the first cross country regional champion in school history. Oates was also named the NJCAA Region 11 Division II Cross Country Male Athlete of the Year. He will next compete Saturday, Nov. 11 at the NJCAA Division II National Cross Country Championships in Huntsville, Alabama.
"Chase will be right up there. Our goal is to come back with some hardware, be All-American which is top 15. He has a very strong chance of doing that," Vicker said. "The next two weeks leading up to nationals, I feel good where we are at."
Southwestern was without freshman Daemon Rodriguez, who has been the team's No. 2 runner all season. He suffered a hamstring injury in September. Vicker hopes Rodriguez will be ready for nationals.
Knowing who else was on the course with Oates enhanced the finish.
"This is one of the best competitions in the country, Indian Hills, Iowa Central, Iowa Western are all strong teams. They ran great today," Vicker said.
For Division II schools, Vicker said Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) and North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) are ranked and Southeastern also is strong competition.
Southwestern did not have a team score Friday. Other Southwestern runners, Mike Mayer finished 33rd in 33:03; Kyle Sanders crossed the finish in 37th place in 39:35 and Jonathan Hackett was right behind him in 38th in 40:47.
Creston graduate, Riley DeGonia, runs for North Iowa Area Community College Friday.
"I was happy with how the four ran today," Vicker said.
Vicker said Southwestern team members had been practicing the course weekly for the past month. The course was a variation of the course used when Creston High School hosts its annual cross country meet in September. The course overlapped Southwestern's campus and Crestmoor Golf Club.
"We knew it was going to be the most challenging course any of these teams have seen all year," Vicker said.
Southeastern won the Division 2 with 39 points followed by DMACC, 40; NIACC, 55 and Hawkeye Community College 105. Southeastern and DMACC each had three runners in the top 10.
In the women's Division 2, Southeastern's Aisha Ramone won the 5,000 meter course in 19:26. Southeastern also won the division with 30 points.
Riley DeGonia, a 2023 Creston High graduate, finished 25th for North Iowa Area Community in 26:02.
"It was sentimental," she said before the race about returning to Creston to compete at the college level.
