2021 Women's Cross Country Awards
The Region XI Championships determine the ICCAC Cross Country All-Region and All-Conference positioning each year. Last Friday, the athletes raced to their finishes at the Region XI Championships in Waterloo.
Division I was a fierce competition this year between Iowa Western and Iowa Central. Entering Region XI Championships Iowa Western was ranked second and Iowa Central was ranked third. After the race, Iowa Central led the way with seven selections to the All-Region Team this year. Iowa Western and Indian Hills followed with four selections, respectively.
Division II was a closer race this year top-to-bottom with NIACC and Hawkeye leading the way with four selections each to the All-Regional Team. DMACC followed with three selections and Southeastern with one.
The 2021 Division I Female Athlete of the Year was Mercy Biwott of Iowa Western. The freshman was named the Division I Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week twice this season. Biwott had first place finishes at the 2021 Greeno Dirksen Invite and at the Indian Hills Invite. She also had a convincing win at the Region XI Championships winning by 53 seconds to claim the title of regional champion.
She ran the second fastest champion time in the event's history at 17:19. Only Iowa Central's Winrose Chesang has run faster, a 16:41 in 2019.
The 2021 Division II Female Athlete of the Year was Sarah Bertry of NIACC. Bertry was selected as the Division II Women's Cross Country Female Athlete of the Week four times throughout the course of the season.
She placed second at the Indian Hills Invitational and was the Division II individual champion at the Region XI Championships. Bertry is hungry for a national championship after finishing in second place last season at the NJCAA Championships.
Mark Bierbaum of Iowa Western was named the 2021 Division I Women's Coach of the Year. Bierbaum led the Reivers to a first place team finish at the Indian Hills Invitational and entering the Region XI Championships the team was ranked second nationally.
At the Region XI Championships Iowa Western finished second as a team and had the individual champion and the most First Team All-Conference (top 7) finishers, three.
Tyler Mulder of Hawkeye was named the 2021 Division II Women's Coach of the Year. This is the second-consecutive year he has won the award. The RedTails won the regional championship for the second consecutive season. Hawkeye was third at Nationals last year and would like to make a run at the national title.
First Team All-Conference
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Emma Hoines | Hawkeye | Fr. | Waverly, IA |
| Chloe Garcia Grafing | Iowa Central | Fr. | Minneapolis, MN |
| Taylor McCreedy | Iowa Central | Fr. | Atlantic, IA |
| Bethany Stacey | Iowa Western | Fr. | Port Washington, WI |
| Mercy Biwott | Iowa Western | Fr. | Eldoret, Kenya |
| Mohussin Abakar | Iowa Western | So. | Omaha, NE |
| Sarah Bertry | NIACC | So. | Boyde, France |
Second Team All-Conference
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Emily Casterline | Indian Hills | Fr. | Pella, IA |
| Josie Stackis | Iowa Central | So. | Dubuque, IA |
| Kate Miron | Iowa Central | So. | Dubuque, IA |
| Mercy Jepngetich | Iowa Central | Fr. | Eldoret, Kenya |
| Shaunti Longfellow | Iowa Central | So. | Green River, WY |
| Zinash Valen | Iowa Central | Fr. | Owatonna, MN |
| Jadyn Miller | Iowa Western | So. | Madrid, IA |
Honorable Mention All-Conference
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Natalia Segura | DMACC | Fr. | Grimes, IA |
| Chloe Matthews | Hawkeye | Fr. | Nashua, IA |
| Alexia McClure | Indian Hills | Fr. | Eldon, IA |
| Isabelle Mellin | Indian Hills | Fr. | Ottumwa, IA |
| Lizeth Flores | Indian Hills | Fr. | Harvard, IL |
| Morgan Klaus | Indian Hills | Fr. | Bloomfield, IA |
| Elizabeth Hussey | Iowa Western | So. | Woolbridge, VA |
2020 ICCAC All-Region
Division I
2021 First Team All-Region
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Chloe Garcia Grafing | Iowa Central | Fr. | Minneapolis, MN |
| Taylor McCreedy | Iowa Central | Fr. | Atlantic, IA |
| Bethany Stacey | Iowa Western | Fr. | Port Washington, WI |
| Mercy Biwott | Iowa Western | Fr. | Eldoret, Kenya |
| Mohussin Abakar | Iowa Western | So. | Omaha, NE |
2021 Second Team All-Region
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Emily Casterline | Indian Hills | Fr. | Pella, IA |
| Mercy Jepngetich | Iowa Central | Fr. | Eldoret, Kenya |
| Shaunti Longfellow | Iowa Central | So. | Green River, WY |
| Zinash Valen | Iowa Central | Fr. | Owatonna, MN |
| Jadyn Miller | Iowa Western | So. | Madrid, IA |
2021 Honorable Mention All-Region
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Alexia McClure | Indian Hills | Fr. | Eldon, IA |
| Isabelle Mellin | Indian Hills | Fr. | Ottumwa, IA |
| Morgan Klaus | Indian Hills | Fr. | Bloomfield, IA |
| Josie Stackis | Iowa Central | So. | Dubuque, IA |
| Kate Miron | Iowa Central | So. | Dubuque, IA |
Division I - Athlete of the Year - Mercy Biwott, Iowa Western
Division I - Coach of the Year - Mark Bierbaum, Iowa Western
Division II
2021 First Team All-Region
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Natalia Segura | DMACC | Fr. | Grimes, IA |
| Chloe Matthews | Hawkeye | Fr. | Nashua, IA |
| Emma Hoines | Hawkeye | Fr. | Waverly, IA |
| Sarah Bertry | NIACC | So. | Boyde, France |
2021 Second Team All-Region
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Brenna Godfread | DMACC | Fr. | Shenandoah, IA |
| Aubrey Eick | Hawkeye | Fr. | Plainfield, IA |
| Lilly Stcokberger | NIACC | Fr. | Mason City, IA |
| Thalia Thomas | Southeastern | Fr. | Owyhee, NV |
2021 Honorable Mention All-Region
| Name | School | Year | Hometown |
| Natalie Martin | DMACC | Fr. | Norwalk, IA |
| Aviella Holtz | Hawkeye | Fr. | Waukee, IA |
| Brianna Ross | NIACC | Fr. | Charles City, IA |
| Madisyn Heller | NIACC | Fr. | Mason City, IA |
Division II Athlete of the Year - Sarah Bertry, NIACC
Division II Coach of the Year - Tyler Mulder, Hawkeye