The NCC men’s cross country team came into the 2022 season ranked 13th nationally and third in the Midwest region, according to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
In their first Early Bird Invitational of the season, NCC placed first as it had seven student-athletes placed in the top 10. The Cardinals scored 21 points to place first in the Elmhurst University Earlybird Invitational on Sep 2.
Excited after Elmhurst
Nathan Halbrader, ‘25, was the first runner to finish the six-kilometer course with a time of 19:34.50. A few days later, Halbrader earned NCC’s first CCIW Student-Athlete of the Week Award.
“It’s a sign that the training I’ve been doing over the past year has paid off and it’s still very early in the season,” Halbrader said. “It felt good to finish first, I didn’t think it was real once I crossed the line. I knew my teammates behind me were pushing me to go faster and faster toward the end of the race which helped build trust within one another.”
Halbrader believes the start of the season has gone great so far and the team has really grown together and as individuals. “I think the team this year bonds very well and has the confidence within themselves that we are going to get stronger as a group as every day passes,” said Halbrader.
Continued stretch of success
On Sep 9., the men’s cross country turned in a perfect score with its freshmen team at the Lake Forest Invitational. The following day, the team kept their winning streak alive as they turned in 19 points to place first at the Aurora University Spartan Classic. The Cardinals had six out of the top 10 finishers in both days.
Braden Nicholson, ’24, was the first runner to complete the eight-kilometer course at the Spartan Classic in :26:01.4, placing first overall out of 251 competitors. Three days later, he was named the CCIW Student-Athlete of the week, NCC’s second award in as many weeks.
He acknowledges how this was a big achievement for him but says he personally does not care too much about accolades due to it being an individual award.
“This accolade helps cement me as one of the core guys on the team and now other people within the team may possibly look and see what I’m doing in the mornings and afternoons and try to mimic me! I do my best to lead by example and if this accolade helps one other person to get better by following my lead and others then to me, it’s a great award,” said Nicholson.
New year, same culture
Nicholson is really excited to see how the team will continue to develop, both socially and physically.
“We’re definitely considered a ‘sleeper’ team. Most are not really thinking that we have a chance at too much success. However, I would say that’s quite the contrary,” he said. “Our workouts have gone insanely well, and only a few weeks into the season I can tell our team dynamics have improved substantially.”
He believes there are a number of strong leaders on the team to help the new faces adjust. He admits the pressure to pass on traditions, culture, and other NCC insights can be overwhelming but understands that he is not alone and there are other upperclassmen that have a lot of knowledge to spread.
“I look at this team as my family, and even though I will physically be gone in only a year or two, I want to secure a timeline of traditions and culture,” said Nicholson
In the Cardinals’ most recent event, the team placed fourth overall out of sixteen. The Cardinals’ next event will be on Oct. 1, at the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational.
