Yunggebauer helps DMACC to 5th at Nationals

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Freshman Kayden Spencer of Boone earned All-American status with a 15th-place finish in leading the DMACC women’s cross country team to fifth place in the National Junior College Athletic Association 2023 Division II Cross Country Championships Nov. 11 in Huntsville, Ala.

Spencer’s time was 19:15 and she improved her position throughout the race. She was 48th at the 1.6K mark and 22nd at the 3.2K mark.

Fresman Tori Yunggebauer, of Williamsburg, finished in the top 30, as did DMACC freshmen Grace Collins, of Johnston, sophomore Mkenzie Robinson, of Marshalltown. The Bears scored 162 points.

Collins was 21st in 19:34, Robinson placed 27th in 19:57 and Yunggebauer was 30th in 20:03. Sophomore Jillian Prouty of Oelwein rounded out DMACC’s scoring with a 77th-place finish in 21:03.

All four runners improved their positions throughout the race. Collins was 29th at the 1.6K mark and 23rd at the 3.2K mark. Robinson was 57th at the 1.6K mark and 32nd at the 3.2K mark. Yunggebauer was 79th at the 1.6K mark and 51st at the 3.2K mark and Prouty was 108th at the 1.6K mark and 100th at the 3.2K mark.

Two other DMACC runners, sophomores Madison Beaune of Jewell and Mercedes Beaune of Jewell also competed in the race. Madison Beaune was 99th in 21:42 and Mercedes Beaune finished in 190th place with a time of 24:19.

DMACC’s finish was the best of the four Iowa community college teams entered in the race. Southeastern Community College (SECC) finished ninth, North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) was 19th and Hawkeye Community College (HCC) finished in 25th place.

Cowley College took the team championship with 66 points and Olivia Ippel of Lake Michigan College won the individual competition with a time of 17 minutes, 56 seconds over the 5K course.

The meet closed out the season for the DMACC women’s cross country team.

All-conference

The Iowa Community College Athletic Conference 2023 Region XI All-Region Women’s Cross Country Team includes several DMACC runners.

Yunggebauer earned second-team recognition. Grace Collins of Johnston and Kayden Spencer of Boone were named to the first team, and sophomores Jillian Prouty of Oelwein, Madison Beaune of Jewell and Mkenzie Robinson of Marshalltown were named to the third team.

Collins and Spencer spearheaded the DMACC team throughout the fall with their top finishes coming in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region XI Championships Oct. 27 at Creston.

Collins and Spencer placed second and third respectively, with Collins posting a time of 20 minutes, 20.2 seconds over the 5K course and Spencer turning in a time of 20:20.3.

Collins and Spencer never finished outside of the top eight in any meet this fall.

They were also second and third respectively in the Trent Smith Invitational Sept. 15 at Mason City, and Spencer finished second and Collins was fourth in the Indian Hills Invitational Oct. 13 at Ottumwa.

Yunggebauer posted a season-best fifth in the Bill Buxton Invitational Aug. 30 at Indianola. She was fourth in the Trent Smith Invitational, sixth in the Indian Hills Invitational and fifth in the Region XI meet.

Prouty posted a season-best 11th in the Region XI meet and finished in 16th place in three other meets during the season.

Robinson’s best finish was ninth in the Region XI meet where she posted a time of 21:31 over the 5K course. She finished 10th in the Indian Hills Invitational and tenth in the Trent Smith Invitational.

Beaune posted a season-best 13th in the Region XI meet. She finished in 15th place in the Trent Smith Invitational and 18th in the Indian Hills Invitational.

The DMACC women’s cross country team captured the team championship in the Trent Smith Invitational and finished second in the Bill Buxton Invitational, the Grandview Invitational, the Indian Hills Invitational and the Region XI meet.