Contact: Ava Yurchison, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302
(written by Emily Zadny, Student Sports Information Assistant)

Oct. 31, 2016- With his dad as his coach when he was in fifth grade, North Central Cardinal's running back Breunig discovered his love for football. He started out on youth recreational teams and worked his way up to the varsity squad at Sandwich High School.

Breunig knew that when he started looking at colleges, he was going to have to look for somewhere to continue playing football.

"I knew wanted to continue from the start," said Breunig, now a junior on the North Central College football team. "It's an ultimate team game. I loved it in high school and I knew it would really suck if I couldn't play anymore after that last game, so I wanted to keep playing."

"[When I visited North Central] I liked the team bond and cohesion. We're one big family. You come on campus in August for camp and you automatically have 140 brothers."

The synergy is evident on the field and on the stat sheet as the Cardinals are 6-0 on the season and ranked fifth in the nation in last week's NCAA Division III American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Top 25 Poll. North Central also brought home the Little Brass Bell with a 35-25 victory on Oct. 15.

Breunig has been a key player for the Cardinal offense, currently leading the team in rushing yards with 320 on the season. As a sophomore, he set a new program record for rushing touchdowns with 18 and ranks eighth all time with 22.

Breunig has been fortunate enough to have been surrounded by supportive and motivated teammates and coaches the last three years. Having the opportunity to play for current head coach Jeff Thorne and his father, John Thorne, has helped Breunig get to the level he is at now.

"They are pretty similar," said Breunig on playing for both Coach John Thorne and Jeff Thorne. "They're not afraid to get on you if you're making mistakes. It's different having [Coach John] down on the field now. Now, instead of yelling at us at half time, he can yell at us on the field."

Even when he isn't on the football field, Breunig stays involved in sports as an Athletic Training major, a path he discovered in high school after taking a class on a whim.

"My senior year in high school, I took a sports medicine class to help me with my biology class," said Breunig. "That's what got me interested in the profession. Being an athlete my entire life, I have always wanted to work with athletes and to me, that's the best way to work with athletes every day."

Breunig has the opportunity to work with different sports teams at North Central during the winter and spring, assisting in rehabilitation programs and attending practice with the certified athletic trainers. He is also a member of the Athletic Training Student Club.

"With athletic training, you get to see something new everyday. You aren't in an office from 8-5 doing the same thing," said Breunig. "You could be at football practice and see one injury or be at lacrosse practice and see something different.

"I enjoy working with the certified athletic trainers. They are really invested in making sure you are prepared when you go out and apply for jobs after graduation.

They are really dedicated to helping you understand what you did wrong and how to fix it. All of us students also want each other to succeed and we help each other out."

Balancing football practice, film, and travel time, as well as athletic training clinical hours and his studies, Breunig has a hard hitting schedule with very little free time. He also works as an Edge Monitor and is a part of the Athletic Mentorship Program, both of which have helped him develop time management skills during his college career.

"Take advantage of free time. When you have the time, use it wisely. My advice is to get everything done before you have to get it done. I try to get my homework done in my free time or watch film so I'm ready when it's time for practice."

Breunig will not have much free time in the coming weeks as the team rounds out conference play and looks ahead to the post season. The Cardinals travel to Carthage College to take on the Red Men on Saturday with Kick Off set for 1 p.m. in Kenosha.