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

USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals
USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams

July 16, 2024 - The North Central College men's track and field program has been recognized for combined excellence in academics and athletics by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) with six All-Academic Individual awards for the 2024 season. The Cardinals also qualify as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team for the fifth consecutive year.
 
To qualify for the individual All-Academic award, student-athletes must have compiled a grade point average of 3.30 and have qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships or finish the season ranked in the national top 50 in an individual event or the top 35 in a relay event. 
 
Connor Riss is an All-Academic recipient for the fourth time, while Braden Nicholson is a three-time honoree and Max Svienty is a two-time selection. Anthony Divenere, Luke Hoffmann and Jayden Leise make the list for the first time. North Central was recognized as one of 175 NCAA Division III All-Academic Teams by the USTFCCCA, achieving a 3.30 cumulative GPA to achieve the team award for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons.
 
Riss, who graduated with a degree in marketing last spring and started work on a master of business administration (MBA) degree in fall 2023, finished second in the 3,000-meter run at the CCIW Indoor Championship and the 1,500-meter run at the CCIW Championship before earning All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the 5,000-meter run at the Division III Outdoor Championship. 

Nicholson, also a marketing major, won the mile and 5,000 at the CCIW Indoor Championship and earned Second Team All-America accolades with a ninth-place showing in the 5,000 at the indoor national championship. Nicholson fiinished the indoor season ranked seventh in the Cardinals' history in the mile (4:11.48) and fifth in the 5,000 (14:09.53), then won the 1,500 at the CCIW Outdoor Championship and earned another All-America plaque with a sixth-place effort in the 5,000. 

Svienty (elementary education) placed second in the 5,000 at the CCIW Indoor Championship, then moved up to No. 8 in Division III history in the 10,000-meter run (29:06.60) and No. 13 in the 5,000 (13:57.03) outdoors before winning the CCIW outdoor titles and qualifying for the national championship in both races.

Divenere (exercise science) placed fourth in the CCIW Indoor Championship in the pole vault and closed the indoor season ranked 29th nationally with a mark of 4.72 meters (15'5.75"). Hoffmann (finance) placed third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the CCIW Outdoor Championship with a time of 9:10.82 which ranked 40th nationwide. Leise (marekting) won the triple jump at the CCIW Indoor and Outdoor Championships and placed 18th at the indoor national championship.
 
North Central's six honorees are among 23 CCIW representatives on the All-Academic list. A total of 542 Division III athletes nationwide from 140 institutions received the distinction. 

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