FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

CCIW Press Release

Oct. 8, 2013 - North Central College's John Crain has been selected as the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week for Sept. 30-Oct. 6.

Crain remained unbeaten on the season as he won the individual championship in the Gold Division at the Notre Dame Invitational on Friday. He won the 8,000-meter (five-mile) race with a time of 25 minutes, 15.2 seconds, 20 seconds ahead of his closes pursuer. Crain was the first North Central runner to win an individual title at Notre Dame since three-time all-American Michael Spain in 2010. The Cardinals finished second as a team behind NCAA Division II No. 3 Grand Valley State University in the 23-team field, which was comprised primarily of NCAA Division I opposition.

Crain is the only CCIW men's cross country runner to earn two Runner of the Week Awards this season, as he was also honored after his victory in the Hanover College Madison Kiwanis Invitational on Sept. 7. North Central athletes have won the CCIW's weekly award four of the past five weeks, as Aron Sebhat received the distinction on Sept. 24 and Brent Gaither got the nod on Oct. 1. Crain has also been named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week twice this season.

The top-ranked Cardinals will send a squad to St. James Farm in Warrenville on Friday to compete in the Benedictine University Eagle Invitational. The men's race is scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m.