Olivia Ippel wins NJCCA Division II Cross Country National Championship
Lake Michigan College's Olivia Ippel is the national champion.
The Red Hawks freshman runner and St. Joseph High School graduate finished first with a time of 17 minutes and 56.6 seconds at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Women's National Cross Country Championship on Saturday at John Hunt Cross Country Park in Huntsville, Ala. She outdistanced runner-up Nora Brady of Heartland Community College, who finished second at 18:05 on the 5K course.
"At the beginning of the season, if you told me I'd be a national champion, I never would have believed you," Ippel said. "As the season went on and I went undefeated, I realized it was a possibility, and that's what I started to work for. At the national meet, I knew I had to get out faster than usual, which is what I did. Once I started leading the race, I began to believe in myself and focused on all the tips coach (Alan Martens) told me all season, which got me to the finish line. I'm so grateful for this team and coach (Martens); I wouldn't be here without them."
Ippel was one of three Red Hawks to qualify for the championship races. Fellow freshman runner Noemi Arevalo from Bangor, who started in 76th position, finished 60th at 20:27.80 in the women's race. LMC sophomore Tristan Ashley from Saugatuck, who began in the 157th position for the men, finished 69th at 27:16.40 in the 8K race.
"We are so proud of our runners for the student-athletes that they are," said Mel Grau, LMC's Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Life. "The efforts that they all put into this program are appreciated. We are ecstatic for Olivia and all her accomplishments and successes. It's a great day to be a Red Hawk."
The national title caps a remarkable season for Ippel, who won all six races she ran this season. She was named Michigan Community College Athletic Association Runner of the Year. She won the NJCAA Region XII and MCCAA Championship on Oct. 27, navigating the Douglas Walker Park course in Byron Center in 18:29.3 seconds. She was named to the All-MCCAA Women's Cross Country Team, the MCCAA All-Freshman Women's Cross Country Team, and MCCAA Runner of the Week four times this season.
Arevalo, meanwhile, was among the Top 25 runners in Region XII, and Ashley finished 17th at the NJCAA Region XII meet.
For more information, contact Mel Grau, LMC's Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Life, at grau@lakemichigancollege.edu or 269-6172.
