Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5302
Written By: Sam Fretto, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, sjfretto@noctrl.edu
WAVERLY, Iowa (Nov. 15, 2025)- Coming in as the third-ranked team in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association Midwest Regional poll, the North Central College men's cross country team looked to shake up the rankings and punch their ticket to a 52nd consecutive NCAA Division III National Championship. The Cardinals placed third at the NCAA Division III Regional Championship as the race concluded Saturday morning at the Max Cross Country Course in Waverly, Iowa. For their efforts, the Cardinals earned five All-Regional honors.
BJ Sorg led the way for the Cardinals, finishing the course in 24:19.9, placing fourth, and earning All-Regional honors. Sorg kept pace throughout the match and remained steady in fourth at each checkpoint of the race. This is the third time Sorg has earned All-Regional honors.
Jacob Kluckhohn earned All-Regional honors with placing 13th and finishing with a personal best time of 24:41.5. Kluckhohn found himself in 10th place after the first 900 meters of the race, getting to the checkpoint at 2:46.6. Pacing himself throughout, Kluckhohn moved to 11th place by the 3K mark and 12th at 5K. Kluckhohn ended in 13th place by the 7.3K checkpoint and maintained course to the finish of the match. This is Kluckhohn's second time earning All-Regional honors.
Crossing the finish line seconds after Kluckhohn, Oscar Frontjes earned 18th place for All-Regional honors, finishing the race in 24:45.6. Frontjes stayed steady throughout the race, not changing ranks drastically, finding himself in ninth place at the 900m mark. By the 3K mark, Frontjes had moved to 13th before improving his placement at the 5K mark to 10th. At 7.3K, he moved into 15th place and settled into 16th by the end. This marks the first time Frontjes has earned All-Regional honors.
Aidan Armstrong crossed the finish line fourth for North Central as he earned All-Regional honors with a placement of 28th and a time of 25:19.2, which rivals his best times of the season. Armstrong maintained 16th place through the first two checkpoints of the race. By the 7.3K mark, Armstrong checked in at 30th place, but a strong finish improved his rank to 28th. This is the first time Armstrong has earned All-Regional honors.
The final Cardinal to earn All-Regional honors was Jack Galminas, as he finished just above the threshold in 34th place. Galminas finished with a time of 25:29.8. Galminas rose through the ranks throughout the race, crossing the 3K checkpoint as high as 13th place, but ultimately settled in 34th to earn All-Regional honors in his freshman season.
Ari Elmayan and Nolan Crooks finished within seconds of each other, with Elmayan placing 40th with a time of 25:44.8 and Crooks in 42nd place with a time of 25:46.3.
Wartburg College, the top team in the region, took home the team regional championship with 30 points and earned the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III National Championship. The University of Chicago and North Central battled for second place throughout the race, with U-Chicago edging out second place, scoring 87 points to North Central's 90.
The Cardinals will find out Sunday, Nov. 15, if they are one of the 22 at-large bids the NCAA grants for the national championship. The team has made 51 consecutive Division III National Championships, not missing since the creation of Division III.
