Troy Kelleher
Assistant Sports Editor
After winning the NCAA Division III Midwest Region Championship on Saturday in Rock Island, Ill., the atmosphere on the men’s cross-country bus was far from satisfaction.
Although the No.1 ranked Cardinals outran No. 2 ranked Washington University with a score of 56-101, the end game for North Central is on a grassy course in Hanover, Ind., the site of the Division III National Championship.
“We treat next week just like any other meet,” said Head Coach Al Carius as the bus pulled away from Saukie Golf Course, the site of Saturday’s wind-swept regional race. “There’s no such thing as too much confidence.”
Carius has good reason to be confident; North Central has been ranked No. 1 in the Division III poll all season, and Saturday’s performance solidified their dominance.
However, the Cardinals will have plenty of competition from around the nation.
Although North Central outran Washington University by 45 points on Saturday, the No. 2-ranked school in the nation remains a strong contender for the national title.
With a squad led by senior Kevin Sparks, who placed No. 5 in the region, and three other all-region runners, Washington will be a formidable competitor in Hanover.
After a fiercely close race in the Central Region between No. 3 St. Olaf and No. 10 Central College, in which St. Olaf snatched the win with a score of 51-61, both teams are eyeing the national crown.
St. Olaf was led by juniors Grant Wintheiser and Jake Brown, while placing all seven of their runners in the top 25 and winning with an average time of 25:09.
Central College will be hungry after nearly grabbing the victory from St. Olaf in a surprisingly close finish.
Despite being ranked seven places behind St. Olaf, Central proved themselves as a potent force, finishing merely 10 points behind first and placing five runners in the top 35.
Another pair of strong teams emerged from the New England Region in Williams and Middlebury.
After a duel in which No. 5 Williams managed to defeat No. 6 Middlebury by a single point, both teams will carry passion from this rivalry into Saturday’s National Championship.
Williams is led by frontrunners Colin Cotton and Chris Lee, who placed second and third, respectively in the New England regional meet.
Although they are not as strong at the front, Middlebury will have a well-balanced squad that consists of six all-region runners eager to toe the line on Saturday.
Plenty of strong teams will compete at Hanover, Ind. in the upcoming National Championship; however, no team is better prepared to take the title than No.1 North Central.
After a dominant conference performance, in which the Cardinals earned a perfect score of 15 points and a comfortable win against No. 2 ranked Washington University, North Central is poised to deliver an impressive performance this Saturday.
Led by senior John Crain, a strong contender for the individual national title, seven runners will wear the legendary candy-stripe jerseys in Hanover.
Joining Crain will be seniors Roger Klein, Tim Hird, and Ryan Root, junior Ben Dickshinski, and sophomores Troy Kelleher and Aron Sebhat.
Joining them will be three alternates: seniors Matthew Brinkmeier, David Weber and Mitch Gilbert.
North Central will compete in the NCAA Division III National Championship on Saturday at L.S. Ayres Complex in Hanover, Ind., where the Cardinals look for their third straight national title.
The course winds through rolling hills, open fields and a small forest where the men’s 8,000-meter Championship race will begin at 11:30 a.m.
