Iowa Central Wins 6th National Title; DMACC Takes Runner Up Second Straight Season
FORT DODGE, Iowa – The NJCAA Men's Cross Country Championship took place this past weekend, with the ICCAC fielding five full teams competing across the Division I and Division II levels.
The weekend was highlighted by an incredible Iowa Central performance that culminated in the Tritons winning the NJCAA Division I National Championship on their home course in Fort Dodge.
The Iowa Central team featured three All-Americans: Chakib Cherkaoui Rhazouani and Saad Rifi Loutfi, who earned First Team All-American honors, and Said Rifi Loutfi, who was named to the Third Team All-American list. Other members of the national championship team included Soufyane Laaziz, Taha Ouchene, Brian Kirwa and Emmanuel Kiplagat.
After finishing second at the Region 11 Championships a week earlier, the Tritons bounced back with a dominant effort — each of their top three finishers clocked in under 26 minutes despite strong winds and all-day snow. Cherkaoui Rhazouani led the team with a third-place finish, crossing the line just four seconds ahead of teammate Saad Rifi Loutfi, who finished fourth.
The win marked Iowa Central's sixth NJCAA national championship in program history and its first since 2021.
Finishing just outside the top five, in sixth place, were the 2025 Region 11 champions, Iowa Western. The Reivers were led by Geofrey Ronoh, who earned First Team All-American honors with a fifth-place finish, followed by Barnabas Ndiwa, who finished 13th overall to earn Third Team All-American recognition.
In the Division II race, three ICCAC programs — DMACC, NIACC and Southeastern — represented the conference. The top-performing team among the trio was DMACC, which finished as the national runner-up for the second straight year.
The Bears were led by Zack Stoermer, who placed ninth overall to earn First Team All-American honors. Two-time ICCAC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year Eli Page also earned Third Team All-American status after finishing 22nd. Sam Mora finished 26th and Elijah Blix placed 32nd as the Bears totaled 110 team points — nearly 70 behind champion Lansing (Mich.), which finished with 32 points.
Southeastern placed 12th, led by Parker Quinlan (42nd) and Jackson Shacklett (52nd). NIACC rounded out the ICCAC representatives, finishing 39th overall, with Xander Graeser leading the Trojans.
Division I Men:
Team Scores:
1. Iowa Central - 58
6. Iowa Western - 183
Out of 30 Teams
ICCAC Top 10 Finishers:
1. Cornelius Kogo, Hutchinson (Kan.) - 24:54.7**
3. Chakib Cherkaoui Rhazouani, Iowa Central - 25:08.4**
4. Saad Rifi Loutfi, Iowa Central - 25:12.6**
5. Geofrey Ronoh, Iowa Western - 25:23.3**
12. Said Rifi Loutfi, Iowa Central - 25:47.2**
13. Barnabas Ndiwa, Iowa Western - 25:50.3**
17. Soufyane Laaziz, Iowa Central - 25:56.7
22. Taha Ouchene, Iowa Central - 26:12.1
31. Victor Kemboi, Iowa Western - 26:29.0
36. Brian Kirwa, Iowa Central - 26:39.2
60. Flynn Pumpa, Iowa Western - 27:07.7
(out of 210 runners)
**All-American
2025 NJCAA Division I Men's Cross Country All-Americans
Division II Men:
Team Scores:
1. Lansing (Mich.) - 32
2. DMACC - 110
12. Southeastern - 462
39. NIACC, 951
Out of 46 Teams
ICCAC Top 10 Finishers:
1. Esteban Boisseau, Cowley (Kan.) - 26:15.8**
6. Zack Stoermer, DMACC - 27:11.9**
22. Eli Page, DMACC - 27:33.4**
26. Sam Mora, DMACC - 27:39.9
32. Elijah Blix, DMACC - 27:47.9
42. Parker Quinlan, Southeastern - 28:05.7
52. Jackson Shacklett, Southeastern- 28:13.9
71. Joseph Lawry, DMACC - 28:33.4
74. Hunter Landphair, DMACC - 28:35.2
85. Xander Graeser, NIACC - 28:54.7
102. Jacob Driskill, Southwestern - 29:08.8
(out of 343 runners)
**All-American
2025 NJCAA Division II Men's Cross Country All-Americans