College of Lake County names Jorge Colin as cross country coach

Jorge Colin has been named head men's and women's cross country coach at the College of Lake County, replacing coach Steve Blomgren, who coached the team since 2006 and recently retired. Colin served with Blomgren as assistant coach since 2010.

"In Coach Blomgren's final season here, he won a conference championship, a region championship and was given the conference and region coach-of-the-year awards. I can't imagine anyone leaving their legacy on a higher note, and we are extremely grateful for the effort and prestige that he brought to CLC athletics," said Nic Scandrett, CLC athletic director.

During his nine years as head coach, Blomgren helped qualify runners to the NJCAA National Meet in all but one season. In that time, 31 men and women from CLC competed nationally.

"Jorge Colin was at Steve's side for much of this time, and we couldn't be more excited to hand over the program to him. He provides stability for the student-athletes, he is a tenacious recruiter and most importantly, he is a great person. We feel very comfortable with the future of the program. During his time as an assistant, Jorge played a vital role in the men's team securing the first outright Illinois Skyway Conference title in 2013 and then the first-ever NJCAA Region IV title in 2014," Scandrett said.

Originally from Del Rio, Texas, Colin was a standout distance runner who enlisted in the Navy in 2000. He was a NJCAA Nationals qualifier in 2009 at the College of Lake County, was captain of the Lancers cross country team and earned an Associate in Arts degree in 2010. He earned a bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 2011. He served 13 years in the U.S. Navy and joined AbbVie in June 2015.

To learn more about CLC athletics, visit http://www.clclancers.com/ or call Scandrett at (847) 543-2477.