FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
CCIW Release

Oct. 20, 2009 -- North Central College men's cross country runner Michael Spain has been honored by the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin as Runner of the Week for the weekend of Oct. 17. It is Spain's second CCIW Runner of the Week award of the season.

At the UW-Oshkosh Brooks Invitational on Saturday, Spain finished second overall among a field of 551 competitors, stopping the clock in a season best time of 24:25 for the 8,000 meter (five mile) course. His performance helped the top-ranked Cardinals easily capture the team title, racking up just 22 points to outdistance runner-up UW-Stevens Point by a 75-point margin. It was North Central's sixth invitational win of the year, as the top varsity squad has yet to be defeated this season.

It is the second time Spain has been honored by the CCIW and the fourth time this season a Cardinal has won the award. The junior won the same award on Sept. 21 after placing sixth at the Illinois Intercollegiate Championships while Nathaniel Hird (Oct. 6) and Kyle Brady (Sept. 15) have also been honored by the conference.

The Cardinals return to action on Friday, October 23, traveling to Champaign, Ill. for the Illini Open.