A first in the history of Chaparral athletics occurred Saturday morning along the rolling hills of southern Massachusetts.
 
Led by national individual champion Nicholas Keeling, the Chaparrals dominated the NJCAA Division III men's cross country championships, winning with 42 points at Sherman Park in Westfield, Mass., located just outside of Springfield.
 
COD outscored second-place Mineral Area (Mo.) 42-83 and featured four All-Americans, led by Keeling's masterful 8,000-meter race. The Naperville native won the title by a minute and 16 seconds over runner-up Brad Ahrens of Mineral Area with a time of 25 minutes, 36.16 seconds.
 
Keeling averaged 5:09.1 per mile and left the competition in the dust.
 
"Man, that was a lot of fun today,'' he said. "The biggest thing out of it my teammates got the job done. We definitely went into it preparing like it was any other race. We had tons of confidence and I think it showed.''
 
Keeling took over the race in the early portion, running with a pack of leaders heading into the first entry into a woods section of the course. According to AD Ryan Kaiser, when Keeling left the woods, he had a 60-yard lead and never looked back.
 
"I really had no idea how large the lead was,'' Keeling said. "I didn't want to look back and get caught. It kept me motivated to extend a lead. I felt great all day.''
 
He said he knew from head coach Robert Cervenka and staff that he was leading by a sizeable amount with about a mile left in the race.
 
For his efforts, he was named the national runner of the year, along with the title.
 
Joining Keeling as All-Americans were Axel Huerta, who was fifth (27:08.03), Sheldon Powell (12^th  — 27:42.11) and Sebastian Esparza (15^th — 27:48.01).
 
The Chaps finished with seven in the top 22 with Caleb DeBoer 18^th, Randy Almarales 21^st and Anthony Eddy 22.
 
"Going into the season, and not quite understanding competing at the college level, it was an unknown,'' Keeling said. "Once I got here and met the coaches and the rest of the team, I guess that's when it hit me that this place is a hidden gem. Our sport is about the team. I found a program that made me comfortable. At COD, there is a strong positive environment where you can excel. It's been a great experience and a great time and I'm thrilled with my choice.
 
"Winning as a person and as a team; it's the best of the best.''
 
Coach Bob Cervenka:
"The guys truly ran for each other today and we're so proud of what they've accomplished. It was a perfect day. The conditions were ideal and the kids ran at peak level. All season long, they have done everything we asked of them, and it paid off today with our first team championship in school history. They were mentally and physically ready. Their preparation allowed us to win by a sizeable margin with four All-Americans and all seven in the top 22. Nick ran away from the field. Axel was outstanding with his effort. We had the core coming back from a year ago, with a few transfers and freshmen in Nicholas and Sheldon who we thought had the ability and talent to run at this level.''
 
Director of Athletics Ryan Kaiser:
"It was pretty moving to be a part of their team meeting last night, and the overwhelming discussion was about running for each other. Picking up for one another when things got tough. And that's exactly what happened today. Their championship season all year long was about running and working together. It was a dominating performance from all of them, led by the greatest effort by a Chap in program history.  Nicholas won the title and led our team to a national championship. He ran away with the title, and I tell you what, he'll set off some metal detectors tomorrow with all of the hardware he received today. Four All-Americans and seven in the top 22 is unheard of. Congratulations to Bob and Mallory. They did the coaching and then got out of the way and let the guys do what they needed to do. It's a great day to be a Chap."
 
Thirty-eight NJCAA championships
The championship marks the 38^th NJCAA national championship in school history and the sixth since 2021. COD has now won 21 men's titles in seven sports and the women have won 17 in five programs.
 
NJCAA Division III Men's Cross Country
Stanley Park, Westfield, Mass.
8,000 meters | Nov. 5, 2022
Team: 1. College of DuPage 42, 2. Mineral Area 83, 3. Joliet JC 103, 4. SUNY Broome 141, 5. Harper 212, 6. Suffolk 225, 7. Westmoreland County 249, 8. St. Charles 268, 9. Lorain County 281, 10. Hudson Valley 291.
 
Chaparrals
1. Nicholas Keeling, 25:36.16
5. Axel Huerta, 27:08.03
12. Sheldon Powell, 27:42.11
15. Sebastian Esparza, 27:48.01
18. Caleb DeBoer, 27:57.44
21. Randy Almarales, 28:06.43
22. Anthony Eddy, 28:09.65