Contact: Emily Zadny, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week Release
CCIW Athlete of the Week Release

Oct. 15, 2018 – For the third time this season, North Central College senior men's cross country student athlete Dhruvil Patel attracted national attention as the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) has chosen him as the Division III National Athlete of the Week for the Oct. 15. Less than 24 hours later, he was also selected for his fourth College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Athlete of the Week honor.

Patel proved yet again he is the man to beat, winning his third individual title at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Kollege Town Sports Invitational pre-nationals race on Saturday. Running against a field comprised of 16 nationally-ranked Division III teams and battling a beat up course following a week of rain, Patel crossed the finish line in 25:03.5, leading the No. 1-ranked Cardinals to a 41 points victory. This was the same course that will host the 2018 NCAA Division III National Championship on Nov. 17.

The Cardinals take the week off before starting its string of championship races, beginning with the CCIW Championship on Saturday, Oct. 27. North Central has not lost a conference title since 1974. The men's race begins at 12:45 p.m.