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Harper steers toward Cardinal Classic

After running in the Illinois Intercollegiate meet on the Illinois State University campus, the Harper College men’s cross country team visited St. Paul, Minn., and ran in the Griak Invite.

The Hawks had some difficulties on the way to the meet. The van they were driving in broke down, causing them to arrive later then they had hoped for the meet.

Of the 32 teams that participated, the Hawks finished 16th.

“I thought the kids ran OK,” said Harper coach Jim Macnider of the team’s performance.

Pablo Ramirez (Conant) finished 16th individually.

“He ran well,” Macnider said.

With St. Paul safely in their rear-view mirror, the Hawks will turn their attention to the North Central Cardinal Classic hosted by North Central College in Naperville.

The Cardinals are ranked No. 1 in the Midwestern Region of the NCAA Division III poll.

Macnider said of this weekend’s meet, “North Central will be a little bit more low-key.”

The coach is trying to keep his group focused on the larger goals — such as eventually excelling in the NJCAA Championships in Holyoke, Mass. — while understanding each step in the process is important.

“What we have to realize is that our goal is to do well in the regional meet, then go to the national meet,” Macnider said. “I want to be in the top five in the next three invites we have left.”

Wild ride for volleyball: The roller-coaster ride continued for the Harper College women’s volleyball team this week. The Hawks (20-7 overall, 5-2 N4C) played a pair of ranked conference opponents this week with the Harper College Invitational sandwiched in between.

The Hawks finished second behind Lincoln Land College. A pair of sophomores, middle hitter Liz Dotson (Fremd) and setter Alyssa Cazzato (Bartlett), were named to the all-tournament team.

The biggest win of the season to date came a day earlier when the Hawks defeated Madison Area Technical College 25-17, 23-25, 25-12, 25-14. It increased the Hawks’ chances of winning the N4C and earning the top seed at the regional tournament they will be hosting later in the month.

But those plans changed Tuesday when the Hawks suffered a 28-26, 22-25, 21-25, 25-19, 14-16 loss to No. 5-ranked Joliet Junior College. The Hawks are 0-2 this season against the Wolves.

Women’s soccer: After having some time off to heal some aches and pains, the Harper women’s soccer team (5-3, 2-2) was scheduled to play three games in three days.

The first two games were part of a tournament hosted by Rochester Technical College. The Hawks lost to the host host Yellowjackets 5-1 on Saturday. A day later the Hawks were able to bounce back and defeat Century College 9-1 on Saturday night.