Madison Palmer, Paul Watson lead AACC cross country teams

We all hear about five-star athletes that are highly recruited out of high school to multiple Division I universities. However, we don’t usually hear about are the athletes that compete at the junior college level for nothing more than achievement, accomplishment and team unity.

Nor do we hear about the programs that are structured to provide this sense of athletic fulfillment.

The Anne Arundel Community College women’s and men’s cross country teams are excellent examples of the amateur athlete competing with this sense of purity and exhibiting the noble goal put forth by Avery Brundage. The former President of the International Olympic Committee famously said: “sport must be amateur, or it is not sport. Sports played professionally are entertainment.”

Headed by Coaches Keith Bigelow and Susan Noble, the AACC cross country programs enjoyed an outstanding 2021 season, culminating at the National Junior College Athletic Association championships held at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville.

The Riverhawks’ season is best defined as one of unity with runners coming from all walks of life to train, compete and bond as one unit. Cross country meets are scored in such a way that team success requires solid depth, and both AACC teams met that requirement this fall.

Starting off with the Blazer Twilight Invitational at Hood College in September, where sophomore Madison Palmer placed first overall on the women’s side with a time of 21:44.6 that was more than a minute and a half ahead of the secondplace finisher, the Riverhawks compiled impressive results throughout the season.

At the Green Terror Challenge hosted by McDaniel College on Sept. 10, the women’s team took first place with Palmer placing first for the second consecutive race. Jasmine Jones took third, followed by Hannah Titus, Rebecca White and Jasmine Mauldin in 10th through 12th.

Meanwhile, the men’s team finished second overall with Paul Watson leading the way with a fourth-place performance.

AACC held its own against a strong field of NCAA Division I opponents, including Navy, at the Towson Alumni Invitational on Sept. 25. Paul Watson finished within four minutes of the overall winner, while Palmer came in 21st out

of 51 runners — besting competitors from Navy, Loyola and Towson.

That competition at the Division I level prepared the men’s and women’s teams for the Region XX Championship, held Oct. 30 at Westmoreland County Community College. The male Riverhawks’ five runners all finished in the top 10 with Watson and Luke Jimenez earning All-Region honors.

The women’s team placed four runners in the top 10 on the muddy course. Palmer was the top finisher across all divisions with a time of 21:28.4, while Jones placed second with a time of 21:54.4. Holly Boggs finished fourth overall with a time of 23:12.6 and Sierra Keen placed fifth at 25:18.8. Titus rounded out the scoring for AACC in seventh place at 27:39.9.

AACC closed out the season at the NJCAA Division III Championship on Nov. 13. As every athlete and coach knows, you want to peak for nationals, and the Riverhawks did just that. Five female runners set personal bests led by Palmer, who placed eighth overall in the 90-runner field to earn All-America status. Jones also became an All-American with her 16th place finish.

For the men, five runners set personal bests led by Watson, who earned All-America status with an 17th place finish in the 140-runner field.

In summing up the season, Bigelow reflected on the challenges of coaching at the junior college level and noted that “heading into August we weren’t even sure if we would fill a complete roster.”

Once the teams were assembled, the coaches knew there was work to be done to get the athletes conditioned. Bigelow said the season-long results are a “testament to their hard work and willingness to bond as a team throughout the fall.”

Coach Noble echoed those comments and pointed out the benefits of athletics at AACC, as “affordable and accessible to the surrounding communities and counties. Students will earn a top-notch education that is transferable, and the AACC athletic department does an outstanding job supporting our student athletes both on the field and in the classroom.”

Congratulations to the amateur athletes of the fall 2021 Anne Arundel Community College women’s and men’s cross country teams and their coaches. Each of you competed at the highest level and made our county proud.

Calendar

Jan. 1 (9 a.m.): New Year’s Day Unofficial Gathering at City Dock

Feb. 12 (8 a.m.): Valentine’s Day 5K, Kinder Farm Park. Information: www. annapolisstriders.com