A childhood spent in the shadows of its campus made North Central College a part of Colin Young's '00 life long before he ever enrolled in classes, and provided him an opportunity to appreciate the stature of the College's cross country and track and field programs from a unique perspective.
"I had a connection to North Central before ever being a student," Young said. "Growing up a half-mile from Merner Field House, I'd see the team running down the street in the morning. It was part of my childhood growing up."
As a spectator, Young watched as the Cardinals won their second NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship on their home track in 1994, having no idea he would soon help lead them to four national titles (two in cross country, two in outdoor track) himself.
"I remember riding my bike down to nationals in '94 and watching guys like Dan Mayer '94, John Weigel '96 and Matt Brill '97 run," he said. "I thought it was so cool."
After initially pursuing collegiate athletics at the Division I level at Duke University, Young was won over by the team atmosphere he saw among runners in the North Central program and decided to transfer.
"The summer before my sophomore year, I was running at a forest preserve and ran into some North Central guys," Young said. "They said such great things about how much they had improved and how much they liked the coaches and the teamwork.
"The next week, I saw another group of North Central guys and ran with them, and I wound up doing a lot of training with them that summer. I decided this was the place for me, and I'm glad I made that choice."
Young's first national championship meet was the 1998 outdoor championship, placing third in the 10,000-meter run as the Cardinals came away victorious. That fall, he won the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) individual cross country title and turned in a 15th-place finish at the national championship to earn a second All-America certificate and once again hoist a first-place trophy.
In 1999, Young repeated as CCIW cross country champion and placed second at the national championship as North Central won a third straight Division III title.
"(The 1999 cross country championship) was one of my happiest race experiences," Young explained. "I had a smart race plan and almost won, but when I finished I was happy because I had done my job for the team."
Young's collegiate career came full circle in his final meet, as the 2000 Division III Outdoor Championships were hosted at North Central. On the same track where he had seen so many races as a child, he pulled away from the field in the 10,000 for a 10-second margin of victory, again contributing to a national title.
"I really wanted to finish out my career solidly outdoors," he said. "To have it at home was the perfect way to do that. I had a lot of family and friends who were able to come and watch, so to win the 10k was a really special moment."
Now a coach in his own right, Young finds himself drawing from his North Central experience constantly, looking to cultivate the same atmosphere which called him home.
"So much of how I view athletics and treatment of people is from Al Carius (H) '16 and the program," Young said. "Keeping things fun, focusing on how challenges can help you, and being a good teammate are all things I keep coming back to. That culture is why North Central is so successful."
