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

CCIW Press Release

Jan. 30, 2018 - North Central College men's track and field athletes Chris Buechner, Peyton Piron, Michael Anderson and Zach Hird, who combined to post the fastest NCAA Division III time in the nation in the distance medley relay last weekend, share the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Track Athlete of the Week award for Jan. 22-28. The CCIW announced this week's selections on Tuesday.

The quartet clocked a time of 10 minutes, 12.31 seconds to place first in the event at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Squig Converse Invitational on Friday. Their time, which converts to 10:04.11 on a banked surface such as the one which will be used at this year's Division III Indoor Championships, is more than five seconds faster than their closest competitor thus far this season.

Piron also ranks eighth nationwide in the 400-meter dash (49.64), while Hird currently sits eighth  in the 5,000-meter run (14:42.69).

The Cardinals now own three CCIW Athlete of the Week Awards this season. Distance runner Nolan McKenna and pole vaulter Dylan Kuipers were named the conference's Track and Field Athletes of the Week, respectively, on Jan. 16.

North Central travels to Bourbonnais for the Olivet Nazarene University Invitational on Saturday.