NCC Cross Country at CCIW Championships
Steve Woltmann

Men's Cross Country

Men’s Cross Country Splits for Two-Meet Weekend

Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communications, 630-637-5302

WARRENVILLE, Ill. & TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (Sept. 18-19, 2026) – Forced to adapt to the weather once again, the North Central College men's cross country team raced the Gil Dodds Invitational one day early on Friday while another squad made the trip to Terre Haute, Ind. to race the John McNichols Invitational hosted by Indiana State University on Saturday. 

No. 15 North Central came away with a second place team finish at the Gil Dodds Invitational, totaling 86 team points behind No. 6 University of Chicago's 22 points. Millikin University took third with 116 points while University of Wisconsin Parkside finished fourth with 118 points in the 19-team field.

Ari Elmayan was the Cardinals' top finisher in Warrenville, clocking a 25:21.8 to finish sixth. Connor Reed was the next Cardinal across the finish line in 28th place (26:35.3) and Aaron Ramos was 31st (26:40.2). A trio of North Central runners finished together with Kyle Bryant taking 33rd (26:42.8), and Brayden Groenenboom and Owen Christy tying for 34th (26:45.8).

Over in Terre Haute, Ind. nearly 20 Division I ranked programs competed across the men's and women's races. North Central was the second highest finishing Division III team, finishing 26th (784) behind No. 13 Washington University in St. Louis which finished 25th (764). Ninth-ranked BYU won the meet with 71 points followed by No. 21 Florida with 119 points. Washington finished third with 190 points while No. 27 Stanford University was fourth with 205 points. No. 11 Washington State rounded out the top five with a score of 212.

BJ Sorg crossed the 3k checkpoint in 134th place with Daniel Kasperan being the next closest Cardinal in 159th. By the 5k mark, Sorg had moved up six spots into 128th place, clocking in at 15:35.9 at the halfway mark. Kasperan also climbed seven spots before the midpoint to sit 152nd.

Sorg made a major push in the final 3k, passing 25 runners to finish just outside the top-100 in 103rd in a time of 25:02.0. Kasperan also found an extra gear in the last stretch, climbing 27 spots to finish 125th overall, clocking a time of 25:14.1 in the Division I-heavy field. Richard Klein finished 185th in 26:11.1 and Jack Galminas was 214th in 26:55.5. Nolan Crooks rounded out the Cardinal scorers in 218th with a time of 27:01.0. 

North Central will travel to Louisville, Ky. on Saturday, Oct. 3 for the Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic at E.P. Sawyer State Park.
 
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Players Mentioned

Owen Christy

Owen Christy

Senior
Nolan Crooks

Nolan Crooks

Senior
Ari Elmayan

Ari Elmayan

Junior
Jack Galminas

Jack Galminas

Sophomore
Brayden Groenenboom

Brayden Groenenboom

Junior
Daniel Kasperan

Daniel Kasperan

Sophomore
Richard Klein

Richard Klein

Junior
Aaron Ramos

Aaron Ramos

Fifth Year
Connor Reed

Connor Reed

Junior
BJ Sorg

BJ Sorg

Senior
Kyle Bryant

Kyle Bryant

Freshman

Players Mentioned

Owen Christy

Owen Christy

Senior
Nolan Crooks

Nolan Crooks

Senior
Ari Elmayan

Ari Elmayan

Junior
Jack Galminas

Jack Galminas

Sophomore
Brayden Groenenboom

Brayden Groenenboom

Junior
Daniel Kasperan

Daniel Kasperan

Sophomore
Richard Klein

Richard Klein

Junior
Aaron Ramos

Aaron Ramos

Fifth Year
Connor Reed

Connor Reed

Junior
BJ Sorg

BJ Sorg

Senior
Kyle Bryant

Kyle Bryant

Freshman