Men's Cross Country | 11/17/2014 2:33:00 PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Nov. 17, 2014 - The North Central College men's cross country team has been voted the pre-race favorite for this weekend's NCAA Division III National Championship, holding the No. 1 spot the final Coaches' Poll released Monday by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
The Cardinals remained Division III's unanimous choice for No. 1 for the seventh straight week with all eight first-place votes and 256 points. Only the 32 teams competing at Saturday's championship are ranked in the poll.
North Central travels to this weekend's national meet after successfully defending its Midwest Region Championship on Saturday. The Cardinals totaled 51 points to easily outdistance the rest of the 38-team field and win the regional title for the seventh straight year and the 27th out of 37 overall. North Central has placed first in its last four meets, including its 41st consecutive College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Championship on Nov. 1.
Central Region champion St. Olaf College (Minnesota), the defending national champion, is ranked No. 2, while the Midwest runner-up, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, is No. 3. Another Midwest representative, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, is ranked fourth, while New England Region champion Colby College (Maine) is fifth.
Rounding out the top 10 are St. Lawrence University (New York), Amherst College (Massachusetts), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Loras College (Iowa) and Williams College (Massachusetts).
North Central is the lone CCIW representative in the national championship field. The Cardinals have been ranked first or second in 56 of the last 58 national polls and has finished first or second at each of the past six national championships. North Central has been ranked No. 1 in 50 of the 73 national polls the USTFCCCA has released.
The national championship will be held Saturday at The Golf Center at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. The men's race is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. More information can be found on the championship web page at wilmingtonquakers.com.
