Johnson County Community College
Press Release

College Information and Publications
913-469-8500
Julie Haas, Director, ext. 3120
Peggy Graham, Writer, ext. 3425
Tyler Cundith, Sports Information Director, ext. 3122

3/13/2008
Story by Tyler Cundith

JCCC’s Bloemker earns coaching honor

OVERLAND PARK, KS -- Johnson County Community College head cross country and assistant track and field coach Mike Bloemker was recently honored as the 2008 NJCAA women’s assistant coach of the Year at the NJCAA National Indoor Track and Field Championships, held on the campus at Eastern Illinois university in Charleston, Ill. This is the second time in his 10 year career he has been given a national coaching award.  In 2000 he was named the National Coach of the Year after his women’s team won a national cross country championship.  For his career, Bloemker has coached 300 All-American distance runners in cross country, half marathon, indoor and outdoor track.

At this year’s indoor championships, the JCCC women accumulated nine NJCAA Coaches All-America award, including the distance medley relay that placed fourth overall.

Sophomore distance runner Christa Heideman of Wamego, Kan,  earned two Coaches All-America honors, placing third in the mile run with a time of 5:14.82, and fourth in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 3:03.67. Those two efforts upped her career All-American total to 13  at JCCC, making her the most decorated athlete in the school’s 39-year history.  Heideman previously was tied with former greats Marti Cisper and Amy Gochnour with 11 All-America honors.  Heideman can added to her total later this year when she competes at the NJCAA Outdoor Championships in Leveland, Texas.

Heideman’s time in the 1,000-meters is the second-best effort in the program’s history, and best performance in a national championship.  She set the school record of 3:02.80 earlier this year at the Nebraska Adidas Invitational.

Sophomore Francis Gipson also earned multiple All-America honors this year.  Gipson placed ninth in the 3,000-meters with a time of 11:02.96, and ran a leg on the Cavaliers distance medley relay that placed fourth overall with a time of 13:14.29.  Gipson was the second American runner to cross the finish line in the 3,000-meters.

Joining her on the relay ere freshman Courtney Price of Wamego, Kan., sophomore Anjaih Clemons of Kansas City, Mo., and freshman Andrea Young of DeSoto, Kan.

Rounding out the award winners was freshman runner Temer Yimer of Riverside, Mo. Yimer, a Coaches All-America during the cross country season last fall, placed among the top six Americans in the 3,000-meters.  She finished 10th overall with a time of 11:09.86.  Yimer was the third American runner to cross country finish line.