Pagan to run for NAIA power St. Francis
Waubonsee Community College Cross Country runner Christopher Pagan has signed on to continue his collegiate career at the University of St. Francis in Joliet. The Chiefs’ top runner this past fall will join a Fighting Saints’ program which finished second in the nation at the 2016 NAIA National Championships. Pagan helped lead Waubonsee to a pair of Region IV Championships and top-25 finishes in the nation at the NJCAA Division I National Championships.
An Oswego High School graduate, Pagan was a two-time All-Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) and All-Region runner for Waubonsee. As a freshman he finished fifth at both the ISCC Meet and the Region IV Meet, before placing 101st out 287 runners at the National Meet as the Chiefs finished 20th in the nation. Pagan’s sophomore season he paced Waubonsee’s contingent of runners at virtually every meet they competed in. He went on to finish second at both the ISCC Meet and the Region IV Meet, as the Chiefs captured the Region title to again qualify for Nationals. Pagan came in 57th out of 303 runners at the National Meet as Waubonsee finished 25th nationally in the team standings.
“Trevor (Howard), our head coach at Waubonsee ran there at St. Francis. Their coaches kept in contact with me all fall and when I went to visit the campus, it just felt like home,” stated Pagan. The 5’7” sophomore will be continuing his studies in Secondary Education while competing for the Fighting Saints. “Waubonsee was a great experience. It was like a close, tight knit family, that had each other’s back,” explained Pagan. “The team and the environment made me love the sport again. We elevated the program back up and got to the nationals twice. That’s a great feeling.”
