North Central College track and field coach Al Carius knew he had a strong team going into the NCAA Division III National Indoor Track and Field Championships at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Me., but even he was surprised at the final results.

The Cardinals ran away with their first indoor championship at the March 10-11 meet and in the process set a new Division III record for points scored in the national championships with 66 1/2. The previous record belonged to the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, which won the 1987 indoor championships with 44 1/2 points.

Carius said the Cardinals accomplished the impressive feat with a total team effort. "We won this championship with tremendous team unity," he said.

The Cardinals finished 28 1/2 points ahead of their nearest competitor, Lincoln University, Pa,, which finished with 38 points. The 1988 champion, Wisconsin-LaCrosse, finished third with 36 points.

Two North Central athletes earned national champion status by winning their events. Despite performing on a gimpy leg, freshman Jan Cado (Czechoslovakia) won both the triple jump and the long jump with record-setting performances of 52-3 1/4 and 24-11 1/4, respectively. Senior Dan Baker (Camden, Ill.), the 800-meter indoor national champion last year, finished first in the 1,500-meter run in a time of 3:54.41.

The Cardinals had nine athletes who earned All-American honors in addition to Cado and Baker. Junior Shawn Welti (Kewanee, Ill.), the 1988 outdoor national champion in the long jump, finished second indoors in his specialty with a jump of 23-5 1/4. Senior John Collet (Highland, Ind.) finished runner-up in the 5,000-meter run in 14:39.60. In the same race, senior Joel Bowman (Orion, Ill.) finished fourth in 14:45.07. Senior Rich Scopp (Brookfield, Wis.) claimed fourth place with a time of 1:54.83.

Senior Brian Lamb (Chicago, Ill.) finished fifth in the 55-meter hurdles in 7.76 and he was part of a runner-up 4x400-meter relay team along with Baker, senior Joe Plutz (Harvey, Ill.) and junior Jim VanHootegem (Kewanee, Ill.).

Senior Rob Arb (Savana, Ill.) cleared 6-8 in the high jump to finish fifth. Junior Bill Toland (Rushville, Ill.) earned All-America honors in the pole vault competition with a sixth-place vault of 14-7 1/4.

For the veteran North Central Coach who has claimed seven national championships in cross country, the indoor track and field championships is a first. Carius said this indoor championship was especially satisfying because of the development of the team over the years.

"It has been thrilling to watch this group of athletes grow together over the past three years," Carius said. "They've come a long way."

In the 1987 indoor championships, North Central scored just one point. Last year, the Cardinals compiled 23 points to finish third. Carius said the progress has been tremendous and he is hoping it will carry over into the outdoor season.

North Central track and field athletes view the College's first ever national indoor track and field championship as a reward for all the hard work the team put in during the winter months. But many say the hard work wasn't just to win an indoor championship. They have their sights set on another reward in May when North Central hosts the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

- excerpt from North Central NOW
information provided by the College Archives