For the second consecutive year, a Joliet Junior College cross country team has won the national championship.
 
This year, the Wolves men's team captured the NJCAA Division III title, scoring 91 points to edge out two-time defending champion Mineral Area College (MO), who scored 97 points. The meet, hosted by Georgia Military Academy, took place at Council Farms in Milledgeville, Georgia on Nov. 13.
 
JJC's Hunter Phillips won the men's individual title, covering the 8,000-meter course in 25:39. It was the first men's individual title in school history. Phillips won by 39 seconds, running the second-fastest winning time in NJCAA DIII history.
 
"I didn't think we had won," said Wolves Head Coach Jeff DeGraw. "I honestly thought we were second. But as we waited for the team results to be posted, we started to figure some things out and we knew it would be close."
 
"I was with the women's team as they were getting ready for their race, and some of the men's team members were with us too," added DeGraw. "When the results were announced, it was pandemonium. The feeling was pure joy among all of our team members, parents and coaches."
 
The Wolves entered the meet as the third-ranked team in the country, losing to Mineral Area at a meet in mid-October and to College of DuPage, who finished third at the national meet, three times during the season.
 
"This team really believed in the process and focused on the only meet that matters, this one in November," DeGraw said. "They ran fantastic as a group, and Hunter put on a show up front. He stayed in the front group for about the first mile and a half. He made a big move just before a long straightaway and continued to pull away the rest of the race."
 
"I felt so good and was relaxed," Phillips said. "I was prepared for a tough race and figured it would come down to the last part of the course. But when I went, no one came with me and I never looked back, but the crowd kept telling me there was no one behind me."
 
It was the first cross country race Phillips has ever won, including his high school career and this season in college. In addition to being the national champion, he was also named NJCAA DIII Runner of the Year and Central Region Men's Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. 

Behind Phillips, Owen Erickson placed 16th in 27:39, Thomas Adelmann finished 20th in 27:51, Billy Glasscock was 27th with a time of 28:17, and Julian Rosenbach finished out the scoring at 28:54 in 42nd. Nick Chaidez placed 44th and Collin Lippe placed 71st.
 
In addition to Phillips, Erickson and Adelmann earned All-American status by finishing in the top 25.
 
On the women's side, JJC entered the meet as the defending champs and were ranked first coming into the meet. However, on this day, the Wolves placed second to Oxford Emory (GA), scoring 57 points to the Eagles' 40. 
 
"The women's team was disappointed, but their effort was there. We just got beat by a better team on this day," DeGraw said. "We were leading for about half the race, but Oxford ran a great second half. We knew it would be Oxford or us, and the two teams dominated the field. In fact, both teams produced six All-Americans."
 
Tiffany Lehmann placed second overall, running the 5,000-meter course in 20:03. She and winner Julia Danko ran side-by-side in front the entire way in a much-anticipated dual between the two runners, but Danko pulled away in the final stretch. Lehmann, who was named the NJCAA DIII Central Region Women's Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA, was the defending individual champion.
 
Also placing for the Wolves and earning All-American status were Syrena Feustel in fifth, Yesenia Suarez in 14th, Lexi Clarke 20th, Isabelle Gryga 23rd, and Lizbeth Camacho 24th. Ivet Rosiles placed 34th to round out the top seven.

Coach DeGraw was named NJCAA DIII Men's Coach of the Year and Central Region Women's Coach of the Year by the USTFCCCA . 
 
In addition, Joliet Junior College was also awarded the NJCAA DIII Gary Moore Award for Best Overall Program, which honors the college with the best combined men's and women's programs, for the second consecutive season. 

"I am so proud of Coach DeGraw, Coach Davila, Coach Tyrell and all of our cross country student-athletes on their amazing season, which culminated in a national championship and a national runner-up this weekend," said Director of Athletics Gregg Braun. "Being with the teams in Georgia, it was so great to see the athletes put everything they had into their final meet. From the runners and coaches to all of the faithful family and friends that made the trip, it was truly an amazing day." 
 
"I'm so proud of both teams," beamed DeGraw. "This group was so fun to coach, and to come to a national meet and place first and second is amazing. Last year we did the same with the women winning and the men in second. It's hard to win a title in any sport, but we have built this program with all local kids, which is important to me. We have so much talent in the area and we just want to give them the opportunity to run at the next level." 
 
"Experiences like this will last a lifetime," added DeGraw. "These memories and friendships that have been built will last forever."