Joliet Junior College
05/12/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/12/2026 08:02
JJC Track and Field Teams Earn Top-Five Finish at 2026 NJCAA DIII National Championship
May 12, 2026
The Joliet Junior College track and field teams had another successful NJCAA DIII Track & Field National Championship in Utica, New York. Highlights included three individual national titles and a third-place team finish for the women. This marks the second straight year of top-five team finishes for the JJC men's and women's track and field program.
On the women's side, the Wolves' 4x800 meter relay raced to victory with the team of Gabby Zid, Allison Behounek, Maura Cecich and Vivienne Forte.
The team also had four national runner-up performances: Corrine Thomas placed second in the triple jump, Ka'mhary Scott in the 100-meter dash by just .02 seconds, Maura Cecich in the 400-meter hurdles and the 4x100 relay of Thomas, Navayuh Junior, Olivia Ostrowski and Scott.
"I'm so proud of the effort the women gave over the three days," head coach Jeff DeGraw said. "We had injuries occur during the meet, but these women came through. They overcame and it paid off with a podium finish. We had 12 athletes in the meet, and 11 came home as All-Americans. Many garnered multiple All-American status as Behounek and Zid placed in four events while Thomas placed in five.
"I could talk about the efforts and stories of every one of these athletes. This being just the fourth year of the program shows the dedication this team had all year."
Vince Demma led the men to a fifth-place team finish as he won the 400-meter with the fourth fastest championship time in NJCAA history and anchored the winning 4x400 relay, joined by Tye Morgan, Caleb Kies and Keaton Stroner.
The Wolves placed 1-3-5 in the 400-meter with Morgan third and Stroner fifth. The 4x800 relay team were runners-up with Stroner, Kies, Gavin Carlson and Demma.
"Vince Demma showed why he is one of the top 400 runners in the country anywhere," DeGraw said. "To win the 4x400 at the end of the meet was so exciting, and we bookend the meet with the women winning the very first final on Thursday and the men winning the very last event. We had 16 men in the meet as 12 came home All-Americans at least once.
"This was a special year with all of these athletes on both teams. They earned all of this and it belongs to them."
Joliet Junior College published this content on May 12, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 12, 2026 at 14:02 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]