LCCC Cross Country Moves Up In Latest NJCAA Rankings With Nationals Ahead

November 2, 2023 - - The Lorain County Community College men's and women's cross-country squads crept up in the National Junior College Athletic Association DIII rankings after a strong showing at the Region 12 Championships on October 27, 2023. 

The men moved up two spots to 6^th while the women got back into the top 10 at 7^th. 

Both teams took down Kellogg Community College to take the regional titles.  For the men, it was their fifth regional championship in a row and the second straight for the women's team. 

Anchored by the running of Madison Palmer (Sheffield Village/Brookside HS) and Isabella Morales (Amherst, Ohio/Vermilion HS) who earned All-Region honors, the Commodores defeated Kellogg, 19-36.  Palmer took home 5^th place amongst all NJCAA runners to take the DIII individual championship with a time of 19:56.8.   

Morales turned in a time of 25:30.5 to earn an All-Region nod alongside Palmer. 

On the men's side, Matthew Bowman (North Ridgeville, Ohio/North Ridgeville HS) continued his excellent LCCC career earning the individual championship by finishing 10^th overall with a time of 26:53.2, his fastest time of the season on an 8K course.  Michael Couture, like Bowman, earned All-Region with his second-best time of the season, 27:24.1, for 17^th place overall.  LCCC defeated Kellogg, 26-30. 

The Commodores will head to Huntsville, Ala. to run in the NJCAA National Championships on November 11.  Last season, the men finished 9^th and the women finished 10^th amongst DIII schools.