Men's Cross Country | 8/25/2014 1:40:00 PM

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

Aug. 25, 2014 - After narrowly missing out on a third straight national championship last fall, the North Central College men's cross country team enters the 2014 season intent on a return to the top of the podium with a squad full of seasoned competitors looking to lead the way.

The Cardinals claimed their 40th consecutive College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) championship with a perfect score of 15 and followed with their sixth straight NCAA Division III Midwest Region Championship in 2013 before placing second by just two points at the national championships. North Central missed out on its 16th Division III title despite turning in a total of 86 points which was its lowest in four years and better than the total posted by eight of its previous championship teams.
 

"Last year's team was highly successful," said head coach Al Carius. "Statistics don't necessarily define how successful a team was. We lost the national championship by two points, but we were a far better team than we were the year before when we won. We were very pleased with the collective growth of the team as well as each individual, but we got beat by a better team on that particular day."

Despite losing last year's national runner-up and a four-time national champion in track and field, John Crain '14, the Cardinals are optimistic about their chances of reclaiming its position atop Division III due to the return of several talented harriers who have recently taken a step forward in their competitive development.

"There has been a sense of collective ownership for the team," Carius said. "We don't have that one front-runner right now, but we've got a group of guys that know that our success is going to be about the team coming together. Everyone's going to have to play a role, and I get a sense that the leaders of this team understand that cohesiveness and team unity is going to be key for whatever our outcome is going to be."

Junior Troy Kelleher earned All-America honors at last year's national meet, placing 35th overall, then earned a second All-America plaque last spring with a third-place finish in the 10,000-meter run at the Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Three other returning Cardinals represented North Central at the 2013 national finals, including seniors Ryan Root and Ben Dickshinski and junior Aron Sebhat.

Root placed 48th at the national meet and went on to compete at the national level in track and field in the indoor 5,000-meter run and outdoor 3,000-meter steeplechase. Dickshinski also made the indoor championships in the 5,000, while Sebhat's third-place finish at last year's CCIW Cross Country Championship makes him the top returning competitor in the field.

Junior Travis Morrison's cross country season was cut short due to injury a year ago, but he returned to earn All-America honors indoors in the distance medley relay and qualify for his second straight outdoor championship in the 10,000. Sophomore Ethan Adlfinger looks to take a step forward this season after establishing a new North Central freshman record in the 3,000 steeplechase.

"I think success builds on success," Carius pointed out. "The more success you have, the more confidence you get. The experiences they've had have created momentum that should carry over into this year and help these individuals evolve to a higher level. Every time you take that next step up in competition, it can give you additional confidence which is key to overcoming fear."

The Cardinals open the 2014 campaign Friday at the Elmhurst College Earlybird Invitational. The CCIW Championships will be held Nov. 1 at South Shores Park in Decatur, Ill., followed by the Midwest Region Championships at Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winnecone, Wisconsin. The 2014 NCAA Division III National Championships will be contested Nov. 22 at The Golf Center at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio.