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BENTON HARBOR — The Red Hawks are running again.

This week, Lake Michigan College announced that it is reviving both men’s and women’s cross country teams to its roster of intercollegiate athletics in the Fall of 2022.

After a 44-year hiatus, LMC will return to cross country competition in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II level and will participate in the NJCAA Region XII and the Michigan Community College Athletic Association. LMC previously had a cross country program from 1973-1978.

“It felt like the right time for us to bring cross country back to Lake Michigan College,” LMC Athletic Director Melissa Grau said. “This was something we had discussed before the pandemic, and now it felt like the right move for us. LMC has a rich history of athletic competition, and we are constantly looking for ways in which we can improve and grow. We want to give student-athletes collegiate experiences both academically and athletically at an affordable price.”

LMC is in the process of hiring a coach to oversee both teams and recruit athletes to the program. Each team will carry 10 athletes, and the Red Hawks cross country course will be mapped out starting this Spring at LMC’s Benton Harbor campus. Practices begin Aug. 1, 2022.

Other MCCAA colleges with cross country programs include Ancilla, Glen Oaks, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Kellogg, Kirtland, Lansing, Macomb, Mott, Muskegon, Oakland, Schoolcraft, Southwestern Michigan, St. Clair, and Wayne County.

In addition to cross country, LMC competes in baseball, softball, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s and women’s soccer.

Students interested in competing at LMC starting in fall 2022 should contact Grau at (269) 927-6172 or grau@lakemichigancollege.edu. For more information about Red Hawks athletics, visit redhawks.lakemichigancollege.edu.