Heartland Hawks athletics storming the post-season

[November 09, 2021] 

Four Heartland Community Athletics teams have already captured Regional titles, with another looking promising as they head into the post-season this fall.

Women’s & Men’s Soccer

Heartland Hawks men’s and women’s soccer teams came out on top last weekend in the Region-24 Tournament. The women’s team remains undefeated (15-0) after a 4-1 win over Southwestern Illinois College to claim the regional title. Men’s soccer conquered the tournament with a final 2-1 win over top-seeded Parkland College, advancing the team’s record to 10-5-1.

Claiming the Region-24 titles puts both teams in the District Finals. Women’s soccer plays on November 5 in St. Louis and the men’s team will travel to St. Charles Community College on November 6. With wins in the District games, both teams could earn a spot in the National Tournament for the second season in a row.

In his first season as head coach of both Heartland soccer teams, Norman Ramos earned Region-24 Coach of the Year. Ramos was recognized specifically for his efforts and successes with the women's team.

Women’s & Men’s Cross Country

Led by head coach Ty Wolf, women’s and men’s cross country ran to secure regional champions at the Region-24 meet on October 28. Next up for Hawks cross country is the NJCAA DII National Meet on November 13 in Richmond, Virginia.

In cross country’s second year as a program, it will be both teams’ second appearance at nationals. Last year, the women’s team took home 2nd place and the men earned 5th. The Hawks look to improve on their successful 2020 season with even higher finishes at the Virginia meet.

Women’s Volleyball

And for volleyball, the Hawks head to their Region-24 tournament on November 6 in Peoria. The Hawks volleyball team, steered by head coach Mary Frahm, enters the tournament ranked fifteenth nationally in NJCAA Division II with an impressive 27-6 record.

The HCC Women’s Soccer Team Celebrate the Region-24 championship win.

The squad has racked up 1458 total kills this season (versus their opponents’ total of 971), 1342 total assists (opponents: 872), 187 service aces (opponents: 113), 1905 digs (opponents: 1696), and 221.5 blocks (opponents: 160).

“Even with all the challenges faced with COVID last year, our student athletes have seen a lot of success both in the classroom and in the field of competition,” said Athletics Director Ryan Knox. “The achievements we are seeing continues to increase the visibility of Heartland Athletics and will continue to help us attract even more highly-motivated and high-achieving students.”

This level of on-field success in unprecedented for Heartland Community College Athletics, and is particularly notable because three of these HCC Athletics programs weren’t even in existence three years ago.

Heartland added the men’s and women’s cross country, volleyball and golf programs in the fall semester of 2020. Men’s golf also had an impressive end to their fall season with four first-place and four second-place finishes. The team and coaching staff, led by head coach Josh Edison, are looking forward to a strong spring season with hopes of heading to the national tournament.

[Steve Fast
Director, Public Information
Heartland Community College]