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

Results

KENOSHA, Wis. (Feb. 23, 2013) - The championship which the North Central College men's track and field team has come to consider its birthright was retained without incident Friday and Saturday, as the Cardinals claimed the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Indoor Championship for the 13th consecutive year at Carthage College.

North Central College is hosting the 2013 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships Mar. 8-9. Click here for more information.

The fourth-ranked Cardinals won six of the 17 events and totaled 250 points, while 11th-ranked Augustana College was a distant second with 131 and 25th-ranked Carthage placed third with 114. North Central has won the CCIW's indoor championship every year since its institution in 2001.

The Cardinals opened their title defense in impressive fashion on Friday, winning four of the first six events which were contested. Matt Souvannasing established a new meet record in winning the long jump with a distance of 23 feet, 7 1/4 inches, while Josh Winder placed first in the pole vault (15'5 1/2"), and Mitch Gilbert won the 5,000-meter run (14:54.99) as the Cardinals took five of the top six places. North Central's distance medley relay team of Juliano Lodi, Dionte Hackler, Marlen Hamilton and John Crain narrowly edged out runner-up Wheaton College with a time of 9:58.89, which has been bettered by only one team in Division III competition this season.

Joseph Hletko completed his second straight victory in the heptathlon on Saturday, establishing new meet and school records with a total of 4,655 points, and Matt Muth hit the finish line in 4:15.47 to win the mile run as three teammates were among the next four finishers.

Matt Brinkmeier followed Muth across the line in the mile (4:16.64), while Crain placed thid (4:17.11). Daniel Kerley was right behind Gilbert in the 5,000, placing second (14:55.83), and Zach Heerspink finished behind only Souvannasing in the long jump (22'11"). Other North Central second-place finishers included Souvannasing in the 55-meter dash (6.50), Dayton Henriksen in the 200 (22.51), David Janet in the 3,000 (8:34.57), Kyle Pembrook in the high jump (6'7") and the 4-by-400-meter relay team of Hackler, Hamilton, Tony Kennedy and Derek Nelson (3:21.38).

Hackler placed third in the 400 (49.77), as did Thomas Stacey in the pole vault (14'11 1/2") and Adam Weidner in the shot put (50'1 1/4"). Another third-place showing came from Peter Geraghty, who, unable to compete in his normal event, the pole vault, due to arm injuries, took up the triple jump and leaped 43'11 3/4" to score points for the Cardinals in his first competition in the event.

The Cardinals' coaching staff was presented with the CCIW's Coaching Staff of the Year Award following the conclusion of the meet. North Central's point total was its second-highest at the meet, topped only by the 261 points it posted last year.

The Cardinals head to the Pointer Final Qualifier at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Saturday before hosting the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships at Al B. Carius Track Mar. 8-9.