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

May 1, 2023 - Turning in sterling efforts in two locations, including the toppling of a long-standing program record, the North Central College men's track and field team enjoyed a strong final weekend of regular-season competition at the Drake Relays and Elmhurst University Invitational.

The Cardinals' record effort came Friday at Drake, as Logan Tanttu, Max Svienty, Braden Nicholson and Connor Riss took part in the 4-by-1,600-meter relay. Tanttu led off by touring four laps of the track in four minutes, 9.37 seconds, followed by a 4:10.49 by Svienty, a 4:08.79 for Nicholson and a 4:11.02 for Riss. 

The team's time of 16:39.66 placed it sixth in the field and broke the previous program record of 16:45.99, set in 2000 by Tim McCoskey, Ed Riegert, Charlie Califf and Jeremy Borling. North Central was one of two non-NCAA Division III teams in the race.

Tanttu teamed with Logan Skidmore, Gage Nielsen and Lucas Hoffman to place fourth in the College Division heat of the 4-by-800-meter relay, finishing in 7:39.06, then joined with Nielsen, Luke Hoffmann and Julian Higueros to place ninth in the distance medley relay (10:19.35).

Svienty and Riss placed 14th (14:06.99) and 21st (14:16.25), respectively, in the seeded section of the 5,000-meter run Thursday, while Drew Guimond placed 19th (14:27.99) in the unseeded section. Thomas Rohr finished 12th in the 10,000-meter run (30:56.50) and Kyle Nofziger placed 17th (31:44.12).

The bulk of the squad competed in the Elmhurst University Invitational at Wheaton College's McCully Stadium Friday. The throwing events for the meet were contested at North Central Thursday. The Cardinals won four events and prevailed in the 14-team competition with 140.5 points. Wheaton placed second (93) and the University of Chicago followed in third (75).

The 4-by-100-meter relay team of Matt Lewis, Jahron Williams, Kevin Dixon and Jamauri Spivery finished first in 42.66 seconds. Logan Schaefer hit the finish line first in the 1,500-meter run (4:02.04), Anthony Divenere cleared 4.30 meters (14 feet, 1.25 inches) to win the pole vault and Anthony Zajac won the hammer throw with a mark of 47.20m (154'10").

Spivery placed second in the 100-meter dash (10.62), as did Jonathan Olenek in the 5,000-meter run (15:08.90) and Jason Connor in the 400-meter hurdles (1:00.28). 

Third-place points came from Nathan Halbrader in the 1,500 (4:03.08), Ishaan Patel in the 5,000 (15:12.18), Michael Robinson in the triple jump (6.52m, 21'4.75") and Riley Hughes in the discus throw (146'10").

North Central travels to Carroll University Friday and Saturday for the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Outdoor Championship. The Cardinals will be seeking their fifth straight outdoor title and the 41st in the program's history.  
 
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