North Central College Athletics

Accomplishments: 1983 NCAA Division III Cross Country National Champion, setting a national record on the 8K course (23:46); three-time NCAA Division III All-American in cross country; member of the 1981 and 1982 NCAA Division III cross country national championship teams; one of only four Cardinals to earn all-conference honors all four seasons of cross country competition; set College’s all-time mark in the 10,000 meters (29:55.44); College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin champion and third in the 10,000 meters at the 1983 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships to earn All-American honors.

Tony Bleull ’84 reigns as one of North Central College’s most decorated runners. The three-time All-American won the 1983 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship and set a national record in the process with a time of 23:46 on the 8K course. Bleull also placed 11th in 1981 and fourth in 1982.

The long-distance runner was part of two national championship cross country teams (1981 and 1982). He was a two-time College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) conference champion (1982 and 1983), one of only five North Central runners to accomplish such a feat. Bleull is one of only four Cardinals to earn all-conference honors all four of his cross country seasons (10th in 1980, second in 1981, first in 1982, first in 1983).

Bleull was a track-and-field All-American placing third in the 10,000 meters at the 1983 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He set the school’s all-time mark in the 10,000 meters, clocking a 29:55.44. The time still ranks among the College’s All-Time Top 10. He was also the CCIW champion in the 10,000 meters in 1983, and was a national qualifier in the steeplechase.

The talented runner came to North Central College for its small-school atmosphere because his high school coach told him it was “the best Division III running program in the country.”

“He was one of the most integrated athletes in terms of his mind, body and spirit,” said Coach Al Carius. “His ability to focus and maximize his abilities and put everything he had into his performance was as good as any athlete I’ve ever seen.”

Bleull graduated in 1984 with a degree in chemistry.