Men's Track & Field Seniors with CCIW Championship trophy and banner
©Steve Woltmann

Men's Track and Field

Men’s Track and Field Claims 8th Straight CCIW Outdoor Title

KENOSHA, Wis. (May 2, 2026) - The North Central College men's track and field team came away with its eighth consecutive College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Championship title as the Cardinals secured five individual wins, one school record, and a slew of new marks in the program's top-10 list. 

North Central totaled 229.5 points in the win for a 91-point cushion ahead of Augustana College's 138.5 points. Carthage College finished third with 136.5 points while Illinois Wesleyan University (107.5) and Wheaton College (65) rounded out the top five teams.  BJ Sorg earned CCIW Elite 26 honors as the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average competing at the championships. Luke Moran was recognized as North Central's CCIW RESPECT Award recipient.

The men's 4-by-100m relay squad of Matt Lewis, Zach Anderson, Randy Reed, and Alexander Knight claimed the CCIW title with a time of 41.36 seconds, a mark that moves them up to tied for eighth in program history.

Reed picked up his second CCIW title of the day in the 200m dash with a time of 21.54 seconds. Knight earned an All-CCIW nod in the event as well with an eighth place finish (22.45). In the 100m dash, Reed (10.72) and Knight (10.82) finished third and fourth, respectively with Danny Eloe rounding out North Central's 100m finals competitors in eighth.

In the discus throw, Ben Balboa had a career day, landing a 54.09m (177'5") mark on his third throw of the day that held steady in second place through the competition. His throw broke a 32-year-old record by five inches. He also jumped up to fifth in Division III rankings this season. Daniel Dominguez finished sixth (46.17m, 151'5") and Riley Adams was seventh (45.94m, 150'8") to earn All-CCIW nods. Balboa also finished fifth in the shot put (14.70m, 48'2.75") with Gavin McAlister finishing sixth (14.59m, 47'10.50) and  Josh Friedland (14.49m, 47'6.50") placing eighth. 

Jayden Leise claimed his third triple jump outdoor conference title, with a 14.32m (46'11.75") leap on his first jump of the day. Kevin Fist notched a personal best of 13.99m (45'10.75") to place third with Prentice Myles finishing sixth (13.58m, 44'6.75") and Brandon Woods tied for seventh (13.48m, 44'2.75"). Myles also claimed a fourth-place finish in the long jump on a 6.75m (22'1.75") jump while Leise finished sixth in 6.64m (21'9.50").

The Cardinal distance squad dominated in the 1,500m and 5,000m runs, claiming the individual CCIW title in both events. Owen Dare ran a season best time of 3:59.15 to win the 1,500m and was followed up by a personal best performance from Jack Galminas in 3:59.38. Aidan Armstrong finished fourth in 4:00.39 and Anthony Eddy was sixth in 4:03.72. Freshman Daniel Kasperan continued his stellar season into the conference championship, earning the 5k title with a time of 14:54.29. Jacob Kluckhohn (14:56.51) and Ari Elmayan (14:57.61) went two-three in the event while Tyler Schick (15:31.35) and Aidan Armstrong (15:31.91) finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Dakota White and Drew Patterson added All-CCIW finishes in the 800m, as White clocked a personal best of 1:54.59 for second and Patterson's season best of 1:56.14 was good for fourth.

North Central opened Friday's competition earning three All-CCIW nods in the hammer throw. McAlister threw a personal best of 49.88m (163'7") on his second throw in the finals to place fifth overall. His new mark sits 10th in program history. Joining him in the finals was Adams and Braunsen Bax who finished seventh (46.41m (152'3") and eighth (45.17m, 148'2"), respectively. In the javelin, Anthony Christiano placed eighth with a 45.58m (149'6") throw to earn an All-CCIW honor. 

Tyler Schick claimed a runner-up finish in the 3,000m steeplechase with a personal best time of 9:23.85. He was joined by Richard Klein on the All-CCIW list for the event as Klein placed sixth in a personal best time of 9:40.46. 

The Cardinals landed three All-CCIW performances in the 10,000m run. BJ Sorg led the way for North Central as he notched a runner-up finish in 30:27.87. Kyle Nofziger and Koen McMillan crossed the finish line side-by-side in sixth (32:05.87) and seventh (32:05.89), respectively. 

North Central produced six All-CCIW honors in the hurdle events. In the 110m hurdles, Daniel Nwatu (15.35), Travis Hoffman (15.47) and Christian Kokot (15.50) finished fifth through seventh, respectively. Hoffman and Nwatu also ran the 400m hurdles as Hoffman finished runner-up at 55.67 seconds and Nwatu was seventh in 57.93. Grant Bond joined the two in the 400m hurdle finals, clocking a personal best of 57.14 seconds to finish sixth.

Gabe Parker notched a pair of All-CCIW honors in the pole vault and in the 400m. He cleared a season best of 4.40m (14'5.50") to place seventh in the pole vault on Friday before claiming a spot in the 400m finals where he finished seventh overall (50.67). Jake Juneau was the top Cardinal finisher in the 400m final, finishing fifth in 50.26, with Anderson just behind in sixth at 50.55 seconds. 

Anderson, Parker, Juneau, and Alexander Moos teamed up for the final event on the track where they finished runner-up in the 4-by-400m relay after posting a 3:21.27 effort. Cole Oleson closed out the Cardinals' All-CCIW performances with a fifth-place finish in the high jump (1.97m, 6'5.50").

Next up for North Central are the last chance qualifiers over the next two weeks with the first being Augustana's Penultimate Qualifier on May 7-8 in Rock Island, Ill. 
 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Zach Anderson

Zach Anderson

Sprints
Sophomore
Aidan Armstrong

Aidan Armstrong

Distance
Junior
Ben Balboa

Ben Balboa

Throws
Sophomore
Owen Dare

Owen Dare

Distance
Junior
Daniel Dominguez

Daniel Dominguez

Throws
Junior
Danny Eloe

Danny Eloe

Sprints
Sophomore
Kevin Fist

Kevin Fist

Jumps
Sophomore
Josh Friedland

Josh Friedland

Throws
Junior
Jake Juneau

Jake Juneau

Sprints
Sophomore
Jayden Leise

Jayden Leise

Jumps
Sophomore
Matt Lewis

Matt Lewis

Sprints
Junior
Gavin McAlister

Gavin McAlister

Throws
Junior

Players Mentioned

Zach Anderson

Zach Anderson

Sophomore
Sprints
Aidan Armstrong

Aidan Armstrong

Junior
Distance
Ben Balboa

Ben Balboa

Sophomore
Throws
Owen Dare

Owen Dare

Junior
Distance
Daniel Dominguez

Daniel Dominguez

Junior
Throws
Danny Eloe

Danny Eloe

Sophomore
Sprints
Kevin Fist

Kevin Fist

Sophomore
Jumps
Josh Friedland

Josh Friedland

Junior
Throws
Jake Juneau

Jake Juneau

Sophomore
Sprints
Jayden Leise

Jayden Leise

Sophomore
Jumps
Matt Lewis

Matt Lewis

Junior
Sprints
Gavin McAlister

Gavin McAlister

Junior
Throws