By: Evan Harvey
In what could only be described as a "once-in-a-lifetime race" due to the snowy conditions at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa, the College of DuPage women's cross-country team captured its first NJCAA Division III Cross Country National Championship in program history.
The COD men's cross-country team also battled through the weather and gutted out a runner-up finish to cap their season with hardware.
Head coach Mallory Dominguez found it hard to put into words.
"My first-year coaching DuPage in 2022, we came from behind (ranked No.2) all year in the men's race and pulled the school's first title in history. Coach Nick Keeling was the national individual winner that year, so it was really a full-circle moment having him on our staff to do the same thing on the women's side and bring the first title home in school history," she said. "I knew these girls had it, but they had to put it together on the same day—and they did. They wanted this badly, and it showed out there on the course. I'm so proud of each and every one of them. When I started here, we struggled to find five girls to score, and now this. It's unbelievable."
It was an award-laden afternoon, with three Chaps earning All-American honors. Jessica Balmer (20:41.5) placed third overall to earn a first-team All-American nod. Elena Korsong, who notched a personal best in the snowy conditions (22:04.6), and Maureen Bluemle (22:27.7) each earned third-team All-American honors. Balmer was also recently named the USTFCCCA Central Region Athlete of the Year for her performance throughout the season.
I knew these girls had it, but they had to put it together on the same day—and they did. They wanted this badly, and it showed out there on the course.
Mallory Dominguez, Head Coach
After securing the women's national title, Dominguez was named the 2025 NJCAA Division III Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year. With its first women's cross country national championship, COD Athletics now holds 49 national titles overall. It marks the 20th national championship earned by a COD women's program.
The men's effort also secured multiple All-American selections, with Adriano Quintero (27:54.6) and Jack Schultz (28:09.9) earning second-team All-American honors. Zachary Bacci (28:25.3) earned All-American honorable mention.
Dominguez praised her men's squad for battling through the elements and earning national distinction.
"We knew it'd be a tall task to pull the title, but we were thrilled to redeem our region performance and come out runner-up with this young group," she said. "The weather didn't produce PRs, but I truly felt each of these men ran their best races of the season today. We had three All-Americans, and we had the closest pack from 1-7 of any team out there. I'm truly so proud of each and every one of these guys."
COD also claimed the Gary Moore Award, presented to the program with the best combined and lowest score among both the men's and women's Division III teams.