Men's Cross Country | 2/11/2015 11:21:00 AM

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

Feb. 11, 2015 - The North Central College men's cross country program has been honored for its ability to combine academic and athletic excellence during the 2014 season, as the Cardinals have been selected as the NCAA Division III Scholar Team of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Posting a team grade-point average of 3.24, the Cardinals won the award by virtue of being the highest-finishing team at November's NCAA Division III National Championships with a least a 3.1 team GPA. North Central won the 2014 national championship, its fourth national title in the past six seasons and the 16th national crown in the program's history. This is the first Scholar Team of the Year award for the Cardinals since its inception in 2006.

North Central is also one of 152 Division III men's squads to be named one of the USTFCCCA's All-Academic Teams. North Central is one of seven College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) teams to make the list, joining Augustana College, Carthage College, Elmhurst College, Illinois Wesleyan University, Millikin University and Wheaton College.

The Cardinals also had two individuals, Travis Morrison and Troy Kelleher, receive All-Academic honors as individuals. The individual All-Academic Award honors those student-athletes who carry a minimum 3.30 cumulative grade-point average and finish in the top 25 percent at their respective NCAA regional meet. In total, 246 athletes representing 100 institutions earned the award.

Morrison, a physics major, placed sixth at the NCAA Division III Midwest Region Championships before placing seventh at the national championships to post the Cardinals' top individual finish at the meet and earn All-America honors for the first time.

Kelleher, an English major with an emphasis in print journalism, is an All-Academic selection for the second straight year. He placed third at the 2014 CCIW Championships and 11th at the Midwest Region Championships before turning in a 46th-place finish at the national meet.

A total of six student-athletes from the CCIW were honored. Joining North Central's pair are Keith Sands of Augustana College, Will Cross of Elmhurst College  and Nathan Knautz and Brett Haffner of Wheaton College.

In addition to its 16 national championships, the Cardinals also have 15 runner-up showings in 41 years of Division III competition. North Central also won the Midwest Region Championship for the seventh straight year and won its 41st consecutive CCIW team title in 2014.