The College of DuPage men's cross country team took first place at the Spartan Classic at Northwestern Medicine XC Course on Sept. 12, finishing ahead of four-year universities Lake Forest, Aurora and Dominican while also topping fellow junior college programs Oakton and Waubonsee.

The Chaps showcased their depth throughout the race, placing nine runners in the top 20.

Michael Gamboa led the way with a second-place finish in 27:50.0, followed by Brendan Spahn in fifth at 29:13.0 and Zach Bacci in sixth at 29:17.3. Austin Best finished eighth in 29:39.7, while Owen O'Mara placed ninth at 29:57.2.

Angel Perez finished 11th in 30:41.6, Matthew Wick was 14th in 30:53.0, Kevin Ching placed 17th in 31:23.9 and Jacob Skibbie finished 18th in 31:44.5.

Cameron Luthman finished 25th in 32:22.1, Liam O'Brien was 26th in 32:23.3, Ryan Leurck placed 27th in 32:25.7, Corbin Gerace finished 29th in 32:44.8, Kaden Bergholt was 32nd in 33:35.1 and Johan Daniel finished 46th in 38:14.4.

"I told them to focus on running with each other and start more at workout-effort pace, and they did just that," Dominguez said. "Very proud of them being able to execute the race plan exactly as we practiced in training, and it worked out so well. Nine guys in the top 20 speaks to the depth of this group, and I'm excited to see how they continue to progress this season."

The Chaps will continue their season Sept. 19 at the Dodds Invite in Warrenville.