Mid Michigan College added cross country teams to their varsity Laker Athletics roster of teams in 2022. Since then, the men’s and women’s teams have experienced steady growth and are building a foundation for future harriers.
In September, after a couple tune up races Mid competed at the Northwood Invite in Midland, hosted by Northwood University competing against both Junior Colleges and NCAA DII Colleges. In the women’s race Natalie Lemert (Alma) ran the 5k course in 22:44 and Josie Gorcyca (Traverse City) ran 26:27. In the men’s 6k, Drew Moore (Grayling) ran 19:47, Mason Cross (Shepherd) finished in 20:37, and Josh Warner (Shepherd) completed the course in 26:49.
In October, at a NJCAA Northern Conference meet, hosted by Kirtland Community College, at Hanson Hills in Grayling, both teams placed runners in the top 10. In the women's 5k race, Natalie Lemert finished 7th with a time of 24:25 and Josie Gorcyca had a strong finish with a time of 27:28. In the men's 8k race, Drew Moore ran to a 1st place finish with a time of 27:10 and Mason Cross finished with a time of 27:17 in 3rd place.
A week later, in the much larger Jayhawk Invite hosted by Muskegon Community College at the University Park Golf Course, Lemert finished in 22:01 and Gorcyca crossed the line with a time of 24:31. Moore finished 11th in the men's 8k with a time of 25:55 and Cross was 36th finishing in 26:30.
“These runners ran their season-best times on a very fast course,” shared John Bradley, Mid’s Cross Country Coach. “They have put in the work and are dedicated to improving throughout the season.”
On October 25th both teams participated in the MCCAA/NJCAA Region XII Regional Championships. In the women’s 5k, Lemert ran her fastest time of the year finishing 34th with a time of 21:54 and Gorcyca finished 61st just off of her best collegiate time in 24:47.
“This was Josie Gorcyca’s final race for Mid and we wish her well as she takes the next step toward her future,” noted Bradley.
In the men's 8k race, Moore ran a very competitive race finishing 6th overall with a time of 26:19 and Cross finished the challenging course with his best time of the year finishing 9th with a time of 26:34. Warner ran a steady race finishing in 36:25 beating his previous personal record by over 2 minutes.
Both Moore and Cross, with their top 15 finishes, qualified and competed in the NJCAA Cross Country Finals in Mechanicsville, Virginia on November 9th. The course at Pole Green Park was very dry and the weather was warm, however Mason Cross ran his toughest race of the year finishing 40th in 26:41 while fighting off the flu. Drew Moore was also not feeling his best but finished the race in 169th out of 315 runners with a time of 28:49. Both men raced against the largest cross country field of any of the Junior College races and represented Mid Michigan College very well.
“This was a great season for Mid Cross Country,” said Bradley. “We continue to recruit, build on past success, and look forward to what we can achieve in the future.”
Mid Michigan College competes in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) against other community colleges for conference, regional/district, and state championships. The Lakers also compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) for national tournaments. Mid currently fields teams in the following sports: men's basketball, women's basketball, men's bowling, women's bowling, baseball, softball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, and co-ed clay target shooting. For more information about Laker Athletics, email athletics@midmich.edu or call (989) 386-6622 x548.
