FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Drew Sauer, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

Nov. 20, 2013 -- After a dominant showing at the NCAA Division III Midwest Region Championship, the North Central College men's cross country team heads into the National Championship with a head of steam looking to capture its third straight national title.

The Cardinals topped a 39-team field to claim the team title at the Midwest Region Championship at Saukie Golf Course, in perhaps the most competitive region in the country.  The Cardinals overtook a field that included eight nationally-ranked opponents, including three of the top 10 in the most recent Division III poll, in winning the regional meet for the sixth straight year and the 26th time out of 36 championships all-time.

"It's a tough region," said head coach Al Carius, "there are 275 runners and when you look at the teams in the region, it's a great dress rehearsal before nationals.  I really like the experience the team had and our ability to absorb that experience and carry it into this weekend."

North Central placed all five of its scoring runners in the top 20 and posted a winning total of 56 points. Second-ranked Washington University in St. Louis was a distant second with 101 points, followed by the 11th-ranked University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (118), the ninth-ranked University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (128) and the fourth-ranked University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (133).

Senior John Crain held true to his recent form, placing first overall for the fourth straight meet after completing the 8,000-meter (five-mile) course in 24 minutes, 17.2 seconds.

Roger Klein also cracked the top 10, placing seventh in 24:37.1. Troy Kelleher followed in 14th place (24:48.0), while Ben Dickshinski and Tim Hird completed the team's scoring by placing 16th (24:51.6) and 18th (24:53.4), respectively. Ryan Root placed 26th (25:06.1) and Aron Sebhat finished 38th (25:25.4) for the Cardinals.

While the Cardinals have been ranked atop the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coaches' Top 35 Poll all season, the team does not let external factors play a part in the team dynamic.

"It doesn't matter what the polls say, it doesn't matter what other people say," said Carius.  "What's most important is at the end of the year we are better prepared for the race than at the beginning of the year. We feel we are as prepared as we're going to be heading into nationals."

The Cardinals will certainly be prepared for the course at the national race as the team is no stranger to the L.S. Ayres Sports Complex, having raced at the Hanover College Madison Kiwanis Invitational in September.

"It's like taking a final exam and getting to review the answers before the test," said Carius, "and I think that's very positive and helpful for our team.  Having run this course before, it is like having all the answers to our questions about the course."

It's no secret that North Central is the national favorite heading into this weekend, but the Cardinals will have just one goal in mind and there is a quiet confidence surrounding the team that has experienced the national stage before.

"I think we are more confident now at the end of the year than at the beginning of the year because of all the experiences we've had." said Carius.  "Throughout the year we've taken a lot of positive steps to get to this point, and we carry a lot of momentum going into nationals."

North Central has won 15 national cross country championships and turned in 14 runner-up finishes since the creation of Division III in 1973.

Saturday's meet will is scheduled to begin at 12:30 pm (ET) in Hanover, Ind.  Additional information on the championships is available at http://www.hanover.edu/athletics/crosscountry/championships.  Live video is available at: http://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule/2013/11/23.