In 1979, the North Central College men's cross country team returned to Credit Island in Davenport, Iowa to defend their 1978 national title and withstood a fierce challenge from Humboldt State University (California) to lift the trophy for the second straight year. North Central’s total of 85 points yielded just an eight-point margin of victory, making it the closest Division III championship race to that point. Just four Division III finals have been decided by fewer points in 45 years since.
Jeff Milliman '81 led the Cardinals once again with a fourth-place effort (24:20), while Dan Skarda '80 and Steve Jawor '80 followed in 13th (24:35) and 14th (24:36), respectively, each claiming All-America accolades. Jim Nichols '80 followed in 26th (24:59) and Dale Koepnick ’82 clinched North Central’s victory placing 57th (25:25). Joe Mallon ’80 and Keith Zobrist '81 placed 117th (25:58) and 122nd (26:07), respectively.
Another Division III program would not record consecutive victories in the championship until 1989. Milliman won the Cardinals’ first individual national title in 1980, becoming the first in the program’s history to earn All-America honors four times, and was inducted into the North Central Athletic Hall of Fame as an individual in 2005.
Roster: Mario Bastida, Neal Cleghorn, Steve Jawor (captain), Dale Koepnick, John Leal, John MacDonald, Gerry Mallon, Joe Mallon, Keith Mazikowski, Jeff Milliman, Jim Nichols, Bill O'Neil, John Perron, Ray Przybelski, Dan Riesen, Dan Skarda, Doug Stevenson, Mike Wagner, Bill Wahl, Will Winmill, Tom Whitaker, Keith Zobrist, Al Carius (head coach), Glenn Behnke (assistant coach)
