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

USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams
USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals

Jan. 30, 2020 – The North Central College men's cross country team has been honored by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) with an All-Academic Team Award for its continued commitment to academics, the seventh-straight year the Cardinals have received the honor.

North Central–the NCAA Division III National Runner-Up in 2019–compiled a team grade-point average of 3.21 to join 172 other Division III programs that qualified for the Team Academic Award on the basis of having above a 3.10 team GPA and finishing five runners at an NCAA Regional Championship. The Cardinals were one of five College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) teams to be honored, with Augustana College, Carthage College, Illinois Wesleyan University, and Wheaton College joining them on the list.

Senior Alec Beutel was individually recognized by the USTFCCCA as All-Academic. He was one of 309 athletes from across the nation who met the criteria of a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average and a finish among the top 25 percent of competitors at an NCAA Division III Regional Championship.

Beutel, an athletic training major, impressed during the 2019 season. One of just two seniors in the team's top-seven, he was named the CCIW Athlete of the Week on Oct. 22 after finishing fifth at the Kollege Town Sports Invitational and went on to receive All-Region honors with a 14th-place finish in his return to the course. He made his nationals debut at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in less-than-ideal conditions, finishing 103rd among a field of 280 competitors.

The CCIW had four individual honorees in total, as Jonah Jones, Michael Larkin and Seth Massot of Wheaton College also made the list. 

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