Ladies & gentlemen — Howdy & Aloha! We are HERE, you are THERE, and you’re now rockin’ with the best! 🌨️🏃‍♂️

On Episode 424 of Airey Bros Radio, we’re heading back to Fort Dodge, Iowa to recap one of the grittiest national meets you’ll ever see — the NJCAA Division II Cross Country National Championship in 30° temps, snow, mud, and chaos.We’re joined by Lansing Community College Head Coach Jim Robinson as the Stars complete the three-peat, winning their 3rd straight NJCAA D2 Men’s National Title (and the 9th men’s national championship in program history) with a dominant 32-point performance — the only team under 100.

We talk:

• Race strategy in brutal conditions (get out front, control footing, secure the team win)
  
  
• The “Michigan tough” identity + why LCC’s culture is built on trust, hard work, and fun
  
  
• The Stars’ depth (interchangeable 1–7), mid-race adjustments, and championship composure
  
  
• A wild Fort Dodge moment: a slip… and even a golf cart incident
  
  
• What recruits/parents should know about the NJCAA route, development, and “fit over logo”
  
  
• What’s next as LCC turns the page into track season (and how they “reload”)
  
  

🎯 If you’re a high school runner, parent, or coach trying to find the right next-level fit — this one’s for you.

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💪 Fueled by Black Sheep Endurance Coaching

Episode 424 — Timestamped Show Notes
0:01 — ABR open + “Taking off the spikes” + Fort Dodge blizzard recap
0:17 — Value-for-value: like/subscribe/comment + Buy Me a Coffee
0:46 — Fueled by Black Sheep Endurance + ABR mission (shine light beyond Power 5)
1:12 — Coach intro: Jim Robinson + LCC’s three-peat + 32 points, three in top five
2:16 — Where recruits should go: lcc.edu → Campus Life → Athletics → recruiting form
3:01 — “It’s snowing in Fort Dodge…” setting the scene + course conditions through the day
4:45 — Spikes talk: last-minute change + what works (and doesn’t) in snow/mud
6:09 — Did the game plan change? Why LCC wanted to be up front early
8:37 — “Everything went to plan?” hiccups + how LCC’s depth covers off-days
11:09 — What this title meant: why this group felt especially strong (but didn’t assume)
14:11 — Old school coaching: eyeballing the race vs live scoring updates
15:00 — Who returns next year? All scoring runners were sophomores — four-peat challenge
16:20 — Transfer/recruiting landscape + D1 roster limits discussion
18:24 — Could some Stars end up at Grand Valley with Coach Baltes?
19:08 — “They looked like they had fun” — mindset in cold/snow and mental prep
22:37 — Fort Dodge chaos: slips/falls + the “bounce back” mentality
23:01 — Wild moment: runner bumps into a golf cart
23:41 — Celebration: awards in the cold + bus vibes afterward
25:11 — Shoutouts: Lucas Hopkins, Quaid Schmidt, Logan Zan, Aiden James, Jesse Carson, Ben March
26:57 — Winning with Michigan kids + pride in local development + year-over-year improvement
31:14 — Track & field at LCC + why two seasons = one sport (distance running)
32:00 — Winter base training → January specificity → indoor unattached meets → official practice in March
33:54 — Thanksgiving segment: favorite holiday + green bean casserole duty + pecan/pumpkin pie
35:05 — Wrap: congrats + Happy Thanksgiving + “they don’t rebuild, they reload” + value-for-value close