NCC men’s track and field team is looking to defend its CCIW conference title for a sixth consecutive year. NCC came away with last season’s indoor championship by a 20-point margin scoring 135.5 points total points, 22.5 points ahead of second place finisher Augustana College.
The outdoor conference championship saw much of the same dominance, with NCC surging ahead with 157 total points, 22 points ahead of the second place team and hosts of the event, Wheaton. The Cardinals also excelled on the national level, finishing as a top 50 team in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Much of the same team is still around for a repeat. Returners include Jamauri Spivery, ’23, AJ Lehmann, ’23, Connor Riss, ’23 and Gavin Carr, ’23.
Experienced returners
Spivery is a three-time Division III national championship qualifier and a five-time CCIW champion in the sprint events. He currently holds the school records for the 55-meter dash (6.36 seconds), the 60-meter dash (6.83) and the 100-meter dash (10.48).
Lehmann achieved indoor season bests of 23.37 seconds in the 200-meter event and 51.59 seconds in the 400-meter event. He also finished second in distance medley relay and 4×400-meter relay and seventh in 400 meter at CCIW Indoor Championship.
“I hope to achieve a new understanding of what it feels like to be a leader on the team,” said Lehmann as he looks forward to the new season. “As my track career comes to an end, I’d like to hit those times I’ve been striving for.”
Riley Hughes, ’23, and Carr headline the Cardinals for the field events. Hughes has earned five All-CCIW awards in throwing events, while Carr holds three All-CCIW awards in the pole vault. Riss is the key contributor for long distance as his personal best time of 3 minutes and 49.06 seconds, ranked 33rd best nationally last season, as well as eighth best in the program’s history. There has also been the addition of new members to the track team, including sprint specialist Andrew Rhodes, ’26.
“My goals going into the season are to recover from my injuries and be competitive at the conference and beyond in the sprints,” said Rhodes. “Another big goal of mine is to strengthen the idea of family that we have here on the NCC track and field team.”
Rhodes is just one of the many freshmen that will be looking to make their mark this season.
A new face at head coach
The team will be led by first year head coach Gabe Rivera. For Rivera, the overall goals for the program are personal growth in classroom and on the track, all while having fun through the process. As for expectations going into the season, the new head coach has set the bar high for the team.
“Athletically, we have a group of athletes that can compete for the CCIW championships. Along with that, we have a strong nucleus of athletes that can be national qualifiers this spring.”
NCC will host the Pat Heenan and F. Lee Slick invitationals before competing in the CCIW Indoor Championship at Illinois Wesleyan University on Feb. 24 and 25.
