Muskegon Community College’s women’s cross country team poses for a photo at the NJCAA Division II nationals Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Muskegon Community College’s men’s cross country team poses for a photo at the NJCAA Division II nationals Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
BY JONATHAN TIMM
LocalSportsJournal.com
A flurry of thick, white snow came down at the National Junior College Athletic Association’s national championship cross country meet Nov. 8 at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Watching his Muskegon Community College men and women compete in the NJCAA Division II nationals closely was Nick Marcinkowski, fourth-year head coach and an MCC alumnus, who has collected a trifecta of awards throughout the region following the 2025 season.
“We knew there was a chance to have bad weather,” said Marcinkowski, who was named the Michigan Community College Athletic Association Coach of the Year. “Looking as the weeks got closer, everything had slowly started going down in temperature. We didn’t think it would be as bad as what it was, though.”
How bad was it?
“We woke up Saturday morning with six inches of snow and a whiteout,” he said.
With a squint in the eyes and a chill in the air, Marcinkowski proudly his Jayhawks women’s squad finish fifth out of the 44 teams competing, the highest finish at the national meet in program history. The men’s team finished 25th out of 46.
The strong finish to a solid season warranted Marcinkowski to also be named the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Super Region and NJCAA Region XII Coach of the Year as well.
As frigid of an atmosphere the Jayhawks had to deal with, Marcinkowski didn’t let the expectation slip away.
“On the ladies’ side, we had a thought that we could make a run at the podium. Everything was set up for it, and we had been ranked really high all season and everyone was healthy, which is the best part you could ask for,” he said.
Not only was everyone healthy, MCC performed on the big stage and hung with some of the best teams in all NJCAA Division II.
“Everyone toes the line exactly the same, it doesn’t matter the environment,” Marcinkowski said.
As MCC freshman Tatum Dykstra (Fruitport) crossed the finish line for seventh place individually with a time of 19:19.4, the remaining pieces fell into place for the top-five finish. Freshman Valerie Pollock (Fruitport) placed 41st (20:45.5) for the Jayhawks, while sophomore Lauren Lee (Fruitport) was 59th (21:17.9) and freshman Cammie Erickson (Montague) 61st (21:18.2).
The Jayhawks fell just short of a top-three finish behind Daytona State College and Cowley College, which tied with 220 points and finished third and fourth, respectively. MCC’s final score was 228. Mesa CC won the NJCAA Division II team title with 54 points, followed by Paradise Valley runner-up (87).
The day, however, didn’t start as smoothly as the finish line may have read.
“Gun goes off, (Nos.) one and two runners are in their positions. Three, four and five are 40 positions off from where they need to be. So we get to the first mile and we’re in 17th,” Marcinkowski said.
In the sport of cross country, the timer goes by figuratively quickly for the coaches and spectators, but not so much for the runners. The beauty is that it only takes a few extra inches in the stride to change things real fast.
“Coming into the two mile, our girls moved up 40 places and it was just a solid push,” Marcinkowski said.
And the push went on past the finish line.
With how close Daytona State and Cowley finished, it left what could have been in the minds of the Jayhawks.
“It was pretty tough for us, but it’s something that has never been done before,” Marcinkowski said. “The girls have never placed inside the Top 10.”
RISING OF A PROGRAM
In order to get all hands on deck to buy into a certain philosophy and tradition, it usually falls in the hands of a head coach to begin planting the seeds. MCC was able to find a root from within.
“I was the former AD’s first recruit for the cross country team since they brought the program back in 2008,” said Marcinkowski, who is a 2009 Whitehall alum.
MCC had a capsule of winning long ago, claiming titles 1963-1965.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do and I was, like, ‘Well, I’ll go to MCC for a semester,’ and then I was going to transfer to Grand Valley State,” he said.
Once MCC offered to assist Marcinkowski financially, he was sold.
For a while, it was a stalemate in terms of the level of competition that Jayhawk runners both on the track and on the cross country team were producing. But Marcinkowski knew how many high end athletes there are in Muskegon County. He officially took over both programs in the summer of 2022.
The Michigan Promise and local tuition assistance has played a helpful role in getting athletes excited about becoming Jayhawks.
“A lot of times for recruits, it’s a business decision,” Marcinkowski said.
These decisions have led to the success throughout the program. Not only has a visible sign of chemistry been built, but the team’s longevity as well.
“Right now we are the only program in the region that has both men’s and women’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field,” Marcinkowski said.
Sometimes, the best ability is availability. With the smart balancing of the books and making the most of the budget, Marcinkowski is confident about continuing the program’s newly established legacy.
“We’re funded. We are Nike sponsored, we supply your shoes, we supply your spikes, that’s all no cost to the athletes. We take care of all that cost,” Marcinkowski said. “So that’s the great part of our program, too, going back to that finance standpoint. You don’t have to pay $600 or $700 a year for your footwear. It’s all covered by us.”
LocalSportsJournal.com
A flurry of thick, white snow came down at the National Junior College Athletic Association’s national championship cross country meet Nov. 8 at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Watching his Muskegon Community College men and women compete in the NJCAA Division II nationals closely was Nick Marcinkowski, fourth-year head coach and an MCC alumnus, who has collected a trifecta of awards throughout the region following the 2025 season.
“We knew there was a chance to have bad weather,” said Marcinkowski, who was named the Michigan Community College Athletic Association Coach of the Year. “Looking as the weeks got closer, everything had slowly started going down in temperature. We didn’t think it would be as bad as what it was, though.”
How bad was it?
“We woke up Saturday morning with six inches of snow and a whiteout,” he said.
With a squint in the eyes and a chill in the air, Marcinkowski proudly his Jayhawks women’s squad finish fifth out of the 44 teams competing, the highest finish at the national meet in program history. The men’s team finished 25th out of 46.
The strong finish to a solid season warranted Marcinkowski to also be named the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Super Region and NJCAA Region XII Coach of the Year as well.
As frigid of an atmosphere the Jayhawks had to deal with, Marcinkowski didn’t let the expectation slip away.
“On the ladies’ side, we had a thought that we could make a run at the podium. Everything was set up for it, and we had been ranked really high all season and everyone was healthy, which is the best part you could ask for,” he said.
Not only was everyone healthy, MCC performed on the big stage and hung with some of the best teams in all NJCAA Division II.
“Everyone toes the line exactly the same, it doesn’t matter the environment,” Marcinkowski said.
As MCC freshman Tatum Dykstra (Fruitport) crossed the finish line for seventh place individually with a time of 19:19.4, the remaining pieces fell into place for the top-five finish. Freshman Valerie Pollock (Fruitport) placed 41st (20:45.5) for the Jayhawks, while sophomore Lauren Lee (Fruitport) was 59th (21:17.9) and freshman Cammie Erickson (Montague) 61st (21:18.2).
The Jayhawks fell just short of a top-three finish behind Daytona State College and Cowley College, which tied with 220 points and finished third and fourth, respectively. MCC’s final score was 228. Mesa CC won the NJCAA Division II team title with 54 points, followed by Paradise Valley runner-up (87).
The day, however, didn’t start as smoothly as the finish line may have read.
“Gun goes off, (Nos.) one and two runners are in their positions. Three, four and five are 40 positions off from where they need to be. So we get to the first mile and we’re in 17th,” Marcinkowski said.
In the sport of cross country, the timer goes by figuratively quickly for the coaches and spectators, but not so much for the runners. The beauty is that it only takes a few extra inches in the stride to change things real fast.
“Coming into the two mile, our girls moved up 40 places and it was just a solid push,” Marcinkowski said.
And the push went on past the finish line.
With how close Daytona State and Cowley finished, it left what could have been in the minds of the Jayhawks.
“It was pretty tough for us, but it’s something that has never been done before,” Marcinkowski said. “The girls have never placed inside the Top 10.”
RISING OF A PROGRAM
In order to get all hands on deck to buy into a certain philosophy and tradition, it usually falls in the hands of a head coach to begin planting the seeds. MCC was able to find a root from within.
“I was the former AD’s first recruit for the cross country team since they brought the program back in 2008,” said Marcinkowski, who is a 2009 Whitehall alum.
MCC had a capsule of winning long ago, claiming titles 1963-1965.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do and I was, like, ‘Well, I’ll go to MCC for a semester,’ and then I was going to transfer to Grand Valley State,” he said.
Once MCC offered to assist Marcinkowski financially, he was sold.
For a while, it was a stalemate in terms of the level of competition that Jayhawk runners both on the track and on the cross country team were producing. But Marcinkowski knew how many high end athletes there are in Muskegon County. He officially took over both programs in the summer of 2022.
The Michigan Promise and local tuition assistance has played a helpful role in getting athletes excited about becoming Jayhawks.
“A lot of times for recruits, it’s a business decision,” Marcinkowski said.
These decisions have led to the success throughout the program. Not only has a visible sign of chemistry been built, but the team’s longevity as well.
“Right now we are the only program in the region that has both men’s and women’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field,” Marcinkowski said.
Sometimes, the best ability is availability. With the smart balancing of the books and making the most of the budget, Marcinkowski is confident about continuing the program’s newly established legacy.
“We’re funded. We are Nike sponsored, we supply your shoes, we supply your spikes, that’s all no cost to the athletes. We take care of all that cost,” Marcinkowski said. “So that’s the great part of our program, too, going back to that finance standpoint. You don’t have to pay $600 or $700 a year for your footwear. It’s all covered by us.”
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