Luke Kalb
Staff Reporter

Currently ranked number 21 in the nation, Elly Meyer, a freshman on the NIACC women's cross country team, hopes to be a catalyst that will mean good things for the relatively new program.

Meyer, of Fremont, Nebraska, was a four-year letter winner at Fremont High School. She also helped lead Fremont High School to a state championship.

Meyer said she found NIACC on the internet and fell in love with it.

"NIACC offered everything I was looking for, a hospitality program, cross country program and dorms," Meyer said.

According to her coach, Curtis Vais, Meyer will be called upon to lead the Trojans this season, just as she helped lead her team in high school.

In the first time trial this fall, Meyer ran a 21:02, which was the leading time for all of the women out of four teams. She also finished in the middle of the pack overall, including both the men and the women.

Meyer's teammates said they feel they benefit from her work ethic. "Elly is very competitive and pushes everyone every day," teammate Jamie Halfpop said. "She is also very nice and easy to get along with."

Vais said he is very pleased with Meyer's work ethic and high intensity in practice. "She is a very good athlete and a strong runner," Vais said.

In the second meet of the year, Meyer backed up her initial strong showing. She won the Mustang Gallop in Cedar Rapids, IA, with a time of 20:16. The second place finisher ran the event in 20:50, 34 seconds behind Meyer's time. NIACC, as a team, finished fourth and had three runners in the top twenty.

Meyer's success continued at the All-American Invitational at Luther College in Decorah, IA. She placed fourth overall with a time of 20:21. Her performance led the Trojans as the team finished fifth.

The freshman's personal goals for the year are to run in the eighteen-minute range and hopefully be ranked in the top ten by the end of the season.

This will be the first year the women's cross country team will be able to compete in every meet because the team now has the numbers required.

Vais said he hopes that Meyer's work ethic will lead the Trojans to a successful year, a lot of fun and hopefully a high finish at nationals.

Logan Weeks
Staff Reporter

From the beaches of Miami, to the cornfields of Mason City, freshman forward Jorge Rojas had to make a big change when he joined the NIACC soccer team.

Rojas, originally from Quito, Ecuador, had lived in Miami since he was five years old.

Moving to Mason City meant no more South Beach or the enironment that goes with it.

"I was interested in a new change. The setting (the Midwest) was a region of the nation that I hadn't explored yet," Rojas said.

Adjusting to the differences was part of the experience.

"The weather isn't the only thing that is different, but the whole environment and scenery is different," Rojas said. "But so far I like the change. The weather so far isn't too bad, but the cold weather is going to be a new change for me."

Most people would think that moving from the beautiful warm beaches in Miami, to the blistering cold winters in Mason City is crazy, but Rojas seems to think otherwise. "I really like the atmosphere here in Mason City," Rojas said. "NIACC seemed to be an excellent opportunity to receive a great education, and play soccer as well."

Rojas, whose major is political science, said he would like to one day be a lawyer.

Rojas said he hopes his future plans will also include continuing his soccer with a four-year university when he finishes at NIACC.

Rojas said that while he enjoys soccer his primary focus will be on his academics and the pursuit of a law degree.

Teammate Matias Capriz was the first to notify Rojas about the NIACC soccer team.

Capriz and Rojas had played AAU soccer together, and Capriz had already heard of the NIACC soccer program from head soccer coach Colin Murphy.

"I played soccer before with Jorge, and I knew he would be a good player to add to the team if he was interested," Capriz said.

So far Rojas has handled the transition from Miami to Mason City pretty well both on the field and off. He is currently second on the team with 13 points, including five goals and three assists through nine games.

Rojas said that despite his individual success, his main concern is still on the team and its goals.

"At the end of practice every day we all huddle up and shout Tyler, Texas," Rojas said. "That is where the national soccer tournament is held, and that is where we want to be. Nobody thinks it is going to be easy, but we are all working hard to get it done."

Gabriel Simpson
Staff Reporter

There are many things that make an ideal player in any sport. Things such as grace, power and speed. But perhaps the most overlooked thing is a positive attitude.

It can boost morale as well as give a decisive edge to a team.

Freshman Maggie Keeler brings that quality to the table when she lines up for the Trojan volleyball squad.

"She adds a lot of spirit to the team," NIACC first-year head volleyball coach, Ted Bieth, said.

Keeler, a freshman from Kansas, said she came to NIACC for many reasons.

She said one of those was the nice environment.

"I just liked the environment when I came on my visit," Keeler said.

Keeler was first-team all league her senior year in high school and also helped her team finish second in their substate.

That was no easy feat though, since the conference she played in is one of the toughest in Kansas.

Keeler's energy for the Trojans this season seems to be infectious when it comes to her teammates, as well as her coaches.

"She plays with a lot of enthusiasm," coach Bieth said about her efforts. "I'm happy she came (to NIACC)."

This year's young squad seems to have a positive attitude theme this year and it appears Keeler fits perfectly into that mold.

And with a young squad, Keeler said that a positive attitude can do much more than just lift spirits. "A positive attitude can help a young team like ours win more games," Keeler said.

Keeler's statistics to date should also provide another reason why coach Bieth is happy she came to NIACC.

Keller is fifth on the team in hitting percentage with 63 kills at press time. She also has 11 service aces this season.

Fellow freshman Saira Morgan has been impressed with Keeler. "She is the spirit of the team and very outgoing," Morgan said.

Being on a young team, that Keeler says has limitless potential, it's no wonder the freshman is thinking positive. "The sky is the limit," Keeler said about the team and its potential.

Keeler said she plans to attend law school after NIACC, but she's excited about her two seasons with the Trojans.

Jonathon Braden
Sports Editor

I finished my two mile jog the other day and just wanted to sleep. My legs ached like old wooden stairs, my shoulders hurt for some reason and my big toe was still screaming mercy from the walnut the size of Rhode Island that I had run over. And that was only two miles.

When Curtis Vais is done with two miles, he's just starting.

Vais is a triathlete. The real crazies of society. The only problem is that along with being that triathlete, Vais is also the head coach of NIACC's nationally ranked men's and women's cross country teams.

And he's also the guy leading the new track and field program, the second program that Vais will lead from scratch. That program officially gets going tomorrow with its first full team workout.

Busy? You betcha he is. "It's actually working with four different teams," Vais said about leading two cross country squads, and the two track and field teams.

"It's lots of hard work," Vais said. "But it's not all by yourself."

Vais and his two assistants, John Blackwell and Andre Smith, have been working with administrators, runners as well as each other coming up with ideas concerning the program.

"It's about integrating ideas into one concept into actually working," Blackwell said. "We're trying to get all the ideas together and get a team philosophy."

For now, the philosophy appears to be hard work. Blackwell estimates that some days the coaches have been at NIACC from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Still, the best part of the day doesn't get lost in the time the clock reads. "Practice is the most fun part," Vais said.

Official practice for track and field is about to get underway and if it pays off like cross country practice has, Vais and company will be well on their way to clearing a tall, self-imposed hurdle.

"Lots of sports have established themselves here," Vais said. "And it's our part to do the same (with track and field)."

With Vais at the post, NIACC has found one of hardest working coaches around to lead the program. And with that said, I feel better already.