After finishing second and third, respectively, in the first NCAA Division III National Championships to be contested in 1973 and 1974, the North Central College men’s cross country team took a step into national prominence in 1975 with its first national title before cementing its elite status with a repeat victory in 1976.
The Cardinals took the starting line along with 38 competing teams at the 1975 championship, held at Franklin Park in Boston on a course inundated with mud. North Central’s seven competitors finished the five-mile course among the top 58 finishers of the 295 entrants in the race, giving the Cardinals a total of 91 points which was 20 points better than runner-up Occidental College (California).
Bruce Fischer ’79 was a contender near the front of the field throughout the meet, placing fourth overall and finishing just two seconds off the pace of the individual national champion. Jim Mitchell ’77 finished 13th overall and Scott Gyssler ’75 placed 18th, giving North Central three All-America honorees in the championship. Robert Patrick ’78 finished 31st, followed by Jon Macnider ’76 in 42nd, Ron Piro ’77 in 54th and David Hartmann ’77 in 58th.
The victory came at the end of a season which saw the Cardinals win a fourth College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) championship in five years, with Fischer emerging to claim a hard-fought individual conference title.
A year later, on a frigid, snow-covered Highland Golf Course in Cleveland, the Cardinals proved the most rugged team in the field for a second straight year, scoring 109 points to finish 23 points ahead of second-place Humboldt State University (California). North Central placed four entrants among the top 22 overall finishers out of 341 competitors, as Piro led the way in 10th place and was followed by Dave Bashaw ’78 in 14th, Fischer in 21st and Mitchell in 22nd. Rich Scott ’79 was the Cardinals’ final scoring runner in 66th place, while Patrick finished 85th and Macnider did not finish.
"It's the culmination of what we've worked toward since last year,” said head coach Al Carius (H) ’16 following the race. “We didn't have any individuals up front, but all season long we've stressed the team concept. Individual success comes with team success."
The first repeat national champion in NCAA Division III history, North Central had also won national titles in 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1987 before another Division III institution won two straight championships. The Cardinals now have 19 Division III titles in the sport, while no other team in the division has won more than four. North Central is the only team to have competed in all 49 Division III national championship meets.
1975 Roster: Rich Breault, Keith Christiansen, Bruce Fischer, Scott Gyssler, Dave Hartmann, Art Hutcherson, Steve Jawor, John Laird, Jon Macnider, Vern Martin, Jim Mitchell, Robert Patrick, Ron Piro, Randy Russell, Dwight Schmidt, Tom Schartow, Hal Stembridge, Randy Davies, Dave Wynn, Les Yahiro, Al Carius (head coach), Glenn Behnke (assistant coach)
1976 Roster: Dave Bashaw, Bruce Fisher, Dave Hartmann, Jerry Hendron, Jim Jacobson, Jeff Kelmann, Greg Klebe, Lloyd Kulisek, Jon Macnider, Tom Malia, Joe Mallon, Jim Mitchell, Jim Nichols, Robert Patrick, Ron Piro, Mark Richmond, Rich Scott, Mike Steben, Hal Stembridge, Tomo Whitaker, Les Yahiro, Al Carius (head coach), Glenn Behnke (assistant coach)
