Women's Cross Country Program Flourishing, Has High Hopes in 2015

Driving Directions to Meets

Region IV Championship Info

PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College women’s cross country team placed second in the country at last year’s 2014 DIII Women’s Cross Country National Championship, the best showing in school history. What will they do for an encore?

Head coach Jim Macnider has the largest turnout on the women’s side since he took over the program in 2011, and he’s heaping praise on this group based on what he’s seen in practices.

“There’s some pretty talented ones. This is definitely going to the best women’s team we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Macnider said.

It appears Macnider and his team have their eyes set on chasing the school’s first national title in women’s cross country, and they begin that journey with the Waubonsee Invite on Saturday morning.

The women bring back two runners from last year’s second place group, Silvia Catalan (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and Cynthia Siddiqui (/Palatine). Catalan was an All-American last year with a 14th place finish at nationals and will likely figure into Harper’s top five. Siddiqui was Harper’s seventh runner at nationals, but Macnider believes the sophomore will only continue to improve in 2015.

The incoming freshman class is laden with talent, starting with Alexandria Gutt (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg).

“She’s probably as good as any women runner we’ve had here ever,” Macnider said.

Other strong freshmen include: Dianne Barajas (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Schaumburg), Veronica Brooks (Arlington Heights, Ill./Battle (Mo.)), Jacqueline Colon (Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove), Nancy Leinwander (Inverness, Ill./Fremd), Maggie Madden (Palatine, Ill./Fremd), Michelle Puma (Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling), Leslie Rosiles (Mount Prospect, Ill./Rolling Meadows), and Katie Thevara (Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove).

Following the Waubonsee Invite, the Hawks will compete at the Aurora Invite (Sept. 11), College of DuPage Invite (Sept. 25) Illinois Intercollegiate at Olivet Nazarene (Oct. 2), Benedictine Invite (Oct. 9), and Bradley Classic (Oct. 16). All of these meets will showcase strong competition from NCAA Div. I, II and III schools as well as NAIA and NJCAA schools. For driving directions to away meets, click here.

Harper College has the privilege of hosting this year’s Region IV Championship on Saturday, Oct. 31. The meet will be held on Harper’s campus For more information on the Region IV Championship, click here.

Macnider thinks it’ll help his team because the Hawks practice on the course at least twice a week and will know it really well by late October.

The 2015 NJCAA DIII Women’s Cross Country Championship will be hosted by Holyoke Community College in Holyoke, Maine.