(Richmond, VA.) - Waubonsee Community College's David Valkanov finished 9^th at the 2024 NJCAA Division II National Cross-Country Meet at Pole Green Park in Richmond, Virginia on Saturday morning. It was the highest finish ever for a Chiefs' runner as the Kaneland High School graduate earned Second Team All-American honors. The Region 4 Runner of the Year, Valkanov crossed the finish line in a time of 25:45, the fifth fastest 8K time in school history and three seconds better than his previous best time. The freshman kept pace with the lead pack of 10 runners that broke away from the field early in the race. Valkanov was as high as third place midway through the race before falling back over the final four kilometers, but still securing the first top-10 finish in Waubonsee history. The Chiefs' Luis Baez, a freshman from Sandwich High School, finished 120^th posting a time of 28:12. Two-time National qualifier, sophomore Dayton Beatty also from Sandwich, came in 193^rd out of 315 competitors. Paradise Valley (AZ) Community College's Jackson Bland won National Runner of the Year honors by finishing first in a time of 25:14, a full 13 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Nick Valle of Mesa (AZ) Community College. Defending National Champion Lansing (MI) Community College won the team title for the second straight year scoring 66 team points, well ahead of Des Moines Area (IA) Community College's 102-point total. Region 4 Champion Sauk Valley Community College placed 16^th out of the 41 teams competing.

In the women's race Waubonsee's Meghan Johnson, a two-time National qualifier from Oswego East High School, placed 88^th overall booking a time of 21:04. The sophomore was in the top-40 early on before dropping off as the race progressed. Teammate Anna Green, also a sophomore from Oswego East, got boxed in by a cluster of runners early in the 5K race and finished 146^th out of 317 participants. Heartland (IL) Community College's Nora Brady ran away from the entire field, leading from start to finish while coasting to victory with a spectacular time of 17:34, crossing the finish line 0:43 before second-place finisher Karen Kiratu from Southeast (NE) Community College. Top-ranked Mesa (AZ) Community College took the team title with a score of 51 points to hold off Paradise (AZ) Community College, which tallied 67 points. Out of the forty-one teams participating, Region 4 representatives Carl Sandburg finished 22^nd and Moraine Valley Community College came in 26^th overall.