College Achievers: Rock solid leadership at the School of Mines
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Colorado School of Mines head cross country coach Chris Siemers (Fenton High School) was named Division II national men’s coach of the year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Winning the Joe Vigil Award by a vote of coaches, it’s Siemers’ fifth national award. The Orediggers this season won the NCAA Division II Championships on Nov. 23, and were unbeaten in all five meets.
Colorado School of Mines head coach since 2012, Siemers’ men won the Division II championship in 2024, 2022, 2019 and 2015. Since 2019 his women’s teams have earned three third-place finishes and a fourth-place trophy.
Siemers’ men’s team has won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference each of the last six seasons.
Been there before
Another familiar name here, Wisconsin senior Bob Liking (St. Charles East) was unanimously voted Big Ten men’s cross country athlete of the year. Also the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region athlete of the year, Liking placed 16th at the Division I Championship to earn his fourth All-America honor.
Sophomore Micah Wilson (St. Charles East) was Wisconsin’s third finisher, helping the Badgers to fourth place in Division I, their best finish since 2012.
Strong finishes
The University of Chicago women took second place behind the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Division III cross country championships. Senior Elizabeth Camic (Benet) helped the Maroons with a 24th-place finish, her second straight All-America run at the Division III nationals.
Aurora University senior Deedee Colon Maldonado (East Aurora) placed 22nd in the women’s Division III championship. At the Midwest regional Maldonado finished in second, the highest placement in Aurora history.
In the men’s Division III race, North Central College graduate student Emerald Svienty (Hersey) placed 10th in a second All-American finish. Cardinals senior Matt Jett (Neuqua Valley) earned his first, in 32nd place.
Ice breaker
Audrey Hetman (Warren), a freshman defender on the women’s hockey team at St. Michael’s College in Vermont, scored her first collegiate goal in a 4-1 loss to Sacred Heart on Nov. 16.
The running Whitwells
Ryan Whitwell (Batavia), a freshman running back at Indiana Wesleyan, was named to the Mideast League’s all-conference first team in the Mid-States Football Association. Whitwell ran for 961 yards and 9 touchdowns in eight games and led the Mideast with 120 yards rushing a game. He helped the Wildcats (11-1) win their third straight MSFA title and on Saturday ran for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns in No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan’s 24-13 win over Southwestern College (Kans.) in the second round of the NAIA Football College Subdivision playoffs.
Ryan is the older brother of Batavia senior Nathan Whitwell, who ran for 1,736 yards and 28 touchdowns this season for the Class 7A runner-up.
Team Tumilty
In the MSFA’s other half, the Midwest League, the University of St. Francis’ (Ill.) Tumilty brothers of Willowbrook High School led the way.
Senior quarterback Sam Tumilty won the league’s offensive player of the year for a third time after consecutive honors in 2021 and 2022. He finished the season with a program-record 23 rushing touchdowns, one of his seven St. Francis season or career records.
Graduate defensive back and return specialist Scott Tumilty became the first Saints player to earn five first-team Midwest League recognitions. Sophomore receiver Joey Tumilty made all-conference a second time after leading St. Francis in six offensive categories.
St. Xavier fifth-year defensive lineman Ayobami Arokoyo (Schaumburg) earned his second all-Midwest honor. Olivet Nazarene senior defensive back Brock Deardorff (Carmel) also was a first-team pick.