NORMAL, Ill — A year ago, Heartland did not have a cross country team. Fast forward to today and Heartland has two of the best teams in the nation.

The Heartland Hawks cross country teams began post-season competition on October 31 at the NJCAA Regional Tournament in Vincennes, Indiana. The women’s and men’s teams had an incredible inaugural season, racking up seven first-place finishes between the two teams. The women and men each added another tally to their count during NJCAA Regionals. Both teams finished the day in first place, bringing home two Region 24 titles.

The women’s team, who finished with five individuals in the top 10, ran another strong race that day. Freshman Olivia Bloyd has set the pace for the Hawks’ women in a majority of their races this season and continued lead in the Regionals race. Bloyd, who finished in fourth with a time of 21:11, comments on the race, “Overall I think we competed to our best ability and it was a good day for a fun, but challenging race.”

Individual Women’s Results:
4. Olivia Bloyd: 21:11
6. Anita Calvacante: 21:19
7. Payton Wille: 21:20
8. Olivia Trask: 21:28
10. Brooke Evans: 22:13
11. Meadow Kirby: 22:25
12. Haley Griebat: 22:40

The Hawks men ran an exceptional race at Regionals, finishing with all six runners in the top 10. The men were led by Logan Johnson, who finished with a time of 28:04. Johnson was followed closely behind by teammates Jon Neville, Gabriel Bush, and Parker Kistner. Johnson said that he went into the race feeling strong. He explains, “The hills were tough, but me and the team were able to push through the pain and bring home the regional title.”

Individual Men’s Results:
1. Logan Johnson: 28:04
2. Jon Neville: 28:45
3. Gabriel Bush: 28:57
4. Parker Kistner: 28:58
7. Logan Moore: 29:50
8. Brody Blackwell: 29:57

Head Coach Ty Wolf was fired up and proud of his teams’ performances in Indiana. Wolf was especially pleased of the confidence and consistency that his women athletes ran with. When it comes to the men, Wolf said they simply dominated. Wolf comments, “Logan Johnson had a breakthrough race…It was great to see John, Gabriel, and Parker go 2-3-4.”

The Hawks cross country teams wrapped up their inaugural season at the NJCAA Cross Country Championships in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The women claimed second-place and the men brought home fifth. Five Hawks also earned All-American honors. Coach Wolf brought home honors of his own as the NJCAA DII Central Region Women’s Coach of the Year.

Individual Women’s Results:
12. Olivia Bloyd: 19:57
14. Olivia Trask: 20:04
15. Brooke Evans: 20:05
26. Anita Calvacante: 20:28
27. Payton Wille: 20:35
42. Meadow Kirby: 21:05
45. Haley Griebat: 21:09

Individual Men’s Results:
10. Logan Johnson: 26:23
21. Brody Blackwell: 27:04
33. Parker Kistner: 27:30
37. Jon Neville: 27:37
48. Logan Moore: 28:03
114. Brandon Green: 30:47

Coach Wolf explains how impressive it is to have such a talented team that is comprised completely of runners from central Illinois.

This mid-November race concluded the Hawks’ 2020 season. We look forward to seeing the Hawks back in action in 2021.

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