Lincoln University headed into the final event of the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships - the 4x400-meter relay - needing only one point to break a tie with North Central College and win its second consecutive men's track championship. In a unique situation, that one point would not be awarded for a last-place finish in the event because a ninth team was competing as a result of protests from the qualifying heats. The Lincoln Lions headed down the stretch battling for the lead when their anchor suffered an injury that dropped the squad to ninth place and created a tie for Lincoln and the host Cardinals on May 27 at North Central. The two schools finished with 52 points each to become the first two teams to tie for the championship in NCAA Division III outdoor track and field history.

"Lincoln is an incredible, outstanding team and is very deserving of a national championship," said head coach Al Carius, who guided his team to its fifth track national crown. "For us this is a tremendous accomplishment. We felt in January that something special was happening with this team. We just grew and bonded together and it all culminated right here."

Although it took a bit of a miracle for the Cardinals to achieve a tie for the national title, they certainly earned it through several performances. On May 25, Colin Young '00 won a national championship in the 10,000 meters with a time of 30:27.01.

"It was a dream come true," said Young. "Everyone close to me was here, friends, my family and teammates. To share this experience with people close to me makes it even better."

Young came back on the final day of competition to earn All-America honors in the 5,000-meter run. He placed sixth with a time of 14:44.38. Young closes out his North Central career  a six-time All-American, four in track and two in cross country.

Another senior also went out with a bang, as Tim McCoskey '00 won the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:51.12. The 2000 NCAA III Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year was also crowned All-American for a fourth-place finish in the 800, bringing his career total to seven - five in track and two in cross country. McCoskey, who will compete his degree in December 2000, will return with the cross country team in the fall.

Ed Riegert ''00 finished eighth right behind McCoskey in the 1,500, taking second with a time of 3:51.13. He also placed third in the 800 with a time of 1:50.57. The transfer from DePaul University has earned four All-America awards in 2000 alone, two for indoor track and two for outdoor. Charles Califf '00 closed out his collegiate career with his fourth All-America honor, taking seventh in the 1,500 with a time of 3:53.98.

In the field events, the Cardinals received a boost from their pole vaulters. Ryan Kane '01 and Jason Tracy '02 took sixth and eighth, respectively, each with vaults of 15-9. Rounding out the scoring for North Central was Adam Moodie '02 taking fourth in the discus with a throw of 161-2.

"It was a classic track and field performance by our team," said associate coach Frank Gramarosso. "People you expect to do well sometimes falter, but other people perform well beyond their expectations. That is what being a team is all about."

- excerpt from North Central NOW (September, 2000)
information provided by the College Archives