FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Results

LA CROSSE, Wis. (May 25, 2013) - Having come out on the short end of a pair of close finishes in national-championship events, John Crain was able to exorcise some demons in Saturday's 5,000-meter run at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday, making a big move in the final lap to claim the North Central College men's team's second individual national title of the weekend at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Crain led most of the final mile of the 5,000-meter run at the indoor national championships in March only to be passed up in the final straightaway. He made a bid for the win in Thursday's 10,000-meter run before placing second again. In between, he came within a few strides of a victory in the 5,000-meter run at the Drake Relays in April, again winding up at No. 2.

He took matters into his own hands and closed the door on a tightly-packed field in Saturday's 5,000, hanging tough when the pace picked up before scorching the track with a 57-second final lap to win going away in 14:25.84, thrilling a large throng of his teammates in the stands.

"I can't even describe this feeling," Crain said. "Finally, everything came together. The race played out perfectly, and I had that last gear in the final quarter-mile. This is a moment I'm going to remember for the rest of my life."

The race started out at a very controlled pace, and Crain was content to settle into the pack as the early laps went by. He spent much of the early portion of the run hovering between sixth and 12th place, coming through the first mile in 4:47 and hitting a two-mile split of 9:32.

"After the 10K on Thursday, honestly, my legs were feeling horrible going into this," Crain indicated. "I just tried to stay positive. I wasn't sure how it would play out. I just wanted to stay as smooth and comfortable as possible in the pack."

With just over a mile to go, Crain moved up near the front in anticipation of a move that would break up the pack. Haverford College's (Pa.) Chris Stadler made the intial surge in the 10th lap of the 12 1/2 lap event, with Crain following along. 

Heading into the final lap, Crain was in a group of five battling for the lead. He bolted to the front soon after the bell rang for the last lap, stretching his lead on the backstretch of the track before putting the race away in the final 200 meters. He covered the final mile in 4:18 and wound up winning by 1.4 seconds over runner-up William Jones of Franciscan University (Ohio).

"I was feeling about as good as you can at the end of a race," Crain said. "I just kept thinking, 'stay smooth and comfortable.' I just gave it all I had and came through at the end. That's the fastest I've ever closed a race."

Crain lauded the support provided by his teammates in the stands, which he credited as a contributing factor to his strong finish.

"My legs were feeling extremely tired, but with my teammates cheering me on, I couldn't have done it without them," he mentioned. "To see them rush over to me afterwards, that was a powerful feeling.

"I think this lets everyone else on the team know where they are. For the guys who have been doing the workouts, this is the level they should expect to be at. Our expectation should be to be on the national level. I think it will help our team in terms of our mentality."

Crain's finish gave the Cardinals 36 points in the championship, placing North Central fifth in the team standings for the second straight year. He is the 49th individual national champion for the men's track and field program and the 117th individual national titleist at North Central College.