The Chaparrals will make room in the trophy case this week after finishing third in Saturday's NJCAA Division III national championship meet.
 
The Chaps were led by All-American Caleb DeBoer, who finished eighth in 27 minutes, 8.40 seconds on the 8,000-meter Council Farms course in Milledgeville, Ga.
 
COD totaled 110 points, after title-winning Joliet (91), and Mineral Area (Mo.) with 97.

"The men's and women's cross country teams success is a direct reflection of the overall resurgence of the COD athletic department,'' said Ryan Kaiser, director of atheltics and recreational programs.  Their success is a continuation of last year's national championships in both men's and women's track and field.  Coach Bob Cervenka knows how to win and has developed a plan that in my opinion will see several more very accomplished teams under his tutelage. An increase in participation for all sports indicates that the Chaparral athletic department is alive and well."
 
"We're very proud to be one of two programs to finish with top-three efforts in both races,'' head coach Robert Cervenka said. "All season long it had been Joliet, Mineral Area and ourselves. The race served as a sort of triangular meet. We competed well.''
 
Anthony Eddy earned a slot inside the top 20, finishing 18^th in 27:50.95. He was followed by: Sebastian Esparza (31^st, 28:23.77), Erik Ojeda (33^rd, 28:26.34), Aidan Ihms (40^th, 28:43.88) and Freddy Munoz (84^th, 30:49.15).

"From Day One this fall, our guys showed a lot of pride by competing together,'' Cervenka said. "Both teams understand the restrictions of COVID and preventative measures. I'm proud of what they accomplished and represented our school and our team well.''

Cervenka expects the core of team to return in 2022.

"Caleb was our leader from the outset. He's a quiet kid who leads by example. You don't have to a rah-rah person to lead.''

Eddy was a surprise in the fact that he initially viewed the season as a tune-up for track.

"Anthony wanted to use the fall as a training ground for his 800 season for track,'' Cervenka said. "A couple of weeks into the season, he wanted to race and really did an excellent job for us.''

Cervenka hopes that the success of the season will allow for more students to compete next season.

"We'd love to have double-digit numbers,'' he said. "The more competition, the more camaraderie develops. When you have more numbers out there, it the success feeds off.''
 
Cervenka also received his Region 4 Coach of the Year award during the meet.

 
NJCAA Division III national championship (NJCAA recap)
Nov. 13, 2021
Council Farms, Milledgeville, Ga.
8,000 meters
Team (top five): Joliet JC 91, Mineral Area 97, Chaparrals 110, SUNY Broome 112, Bergen CC 172
 
Chaparrals
8. Caleb DeBoer 27:08.40
18. Anthony Eddy 27:50.95
31. Sebastian Esparza 28:23.77
33. Erik Ojeda 28:26.34
40. Aidan Ihms 28:43.88
84. Freddy Munoz 30:49.15