Contact: Adam Poklop, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302

Silver Division Results (Pre-Nationals Race)
Blue Division Results

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 5, 2019) – In a performance that bodes well for the end of the season, the No.1-ranked North Central College men's cross country team ran away from the 40-team field in the Silver Division of Saturday's Live in Lou Classic at E.P. Sawyer State Park, to win this year's NCAA Division III Pre-National Meet.

The Cardinals allowed the ninth-ranked Johns Hopkins to lead the race early, slowly gaining ground in the second half. A strong surge during the last 4,000 meters left the Cardinals more than enough room to secure the top-spot in the team standings and three of the top-ten individual places.

Matt Osmulski was first through the line in 24 minutes and 19.2 seconds to finish third among 276 runners as he continues to impress in his senior campaign. Just behind him, Alec Beutel came through in a time of 24:31.5 to finish fifth and Gabe Pommier followed (24:35.4) in seventh. Brendon Sebastian secured 32nd-place with a time of 25:04.9 and Bjorn Shroda (25:14.1) took 38th-place.

Rounding out North Central's top-seven, Thomas Rohr finished 44th with a time of 25:16.4 and Nick Licari (26:03) added a 91st-place finish.

North Central totaled 85 points to win the meet, finishing ahead of a slew of nationally-ranked teams. Johns Hopkins scored 116 points for runner-up, while the No. 14-ranked Otterbein took third with 127 points. The 11th-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology finished fourth with 144 points, 16th-ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute took fifth with 194 points, followed by 23rd-ranked John Carroll (194) in sixth, the fifth-ranked University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (201 points) in seventh and the 28th-ranked Berea College in eighth with 220 points. Emory University (237) and Case Western Reserve University (272), tied for No. 18, finished ninth and tenth, respectively.

The Cardinals also raced a squad in the Blue Division, adding another dominant showing on the day by topping the 57-team field with 57 points and an impressive 19-second spread. Freshman Kyle Bell lead the charge for North Central, clocking a time of 24:55.5 to finish sixth in the 515-person field and improve his personal best by more than a minute. Just behind him, Campbell Koch (24:57.6) and Matt Boelke (24:47.6) finished 8-9, followed by Zach Chapman in 16th with a time of 25:05.2. Alex Makrounis, running in his first race of the season, came through in 25:14.7 for 23rd-place.

North Central regroups at St. James Farm on Oct. 11 for the Benedictine University Eagle Invitational, with race time set for 4:45 p.m.

Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up-to-the-minute news, scores and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.