The NCC men’s track and field team continues to roll as the homestretch of the outdoor season is underway. The team has been riding high after securing their sixth straight CCIW Indoor Championship title. Winning by a wide margin of 47 points at Illinois Wesleyan University in Feb.
Distance squad repping on national stage
On top of the team’s dominance in the CCIW track and field scene, Max Svienty, ‘24, and Connor Riss, ‘23, represented the Cardinals nationally. It made the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships podium in Birmingham.
Svienty rose the ranks in NCC program history by clocking a time of 14 minutes and 8.54 seconds. Also finishing fourth in the race to claim his first-ever All-American honor. Riss ran with similar dominance, finishing in eight minutes and 8.86 seconds, locking up sixth place and his second career All-American honor.
Svienty wasn’t going to allow the indoor season to be the highlight of his entire season, as the indoor season was just a preview of more to come.
“ Having gotten good experience competing and training at a high level indoors, I am ready to carry that same attitude in the outdoor season and continue on the path I have been on. A strong indoor season gave me a lot of confidence, and it told me that the indoor season was just the beginning of what is to come,” said Svienty.
Svienty and teammate Luke Hoffmann, ‘25, locked down the first two CCIW Men’s Outdoor Track Student-Athlete of the Week honors for their early season efforts. Hoffmann earned his spot on the CCIW’s list by recording a personal best of nine minutes and 26.79 seconds in the steeplechase at the Cardinals’ First Chance Invitational. He was the runner-up in the race and remained atop the conference leaderboard in the steeplechase.
Trusting the process
The Cardinals’ success on the track and in the field during both seasons has been no surprise. A perfect mixture of talent and leadership has catalyzed this team this year. The existing culture created by years of success also motivates the team. First-year head coach Gabe Rivera has made sure that the program is continuing the culture left by Frank Gramarosso after his retirement at the end of the 2022 season.
AJ Lehman, ‘23, is also one of the members of the Cardinal team that has been around the program for a long time. He has been a part of a program that continues to thrive and excel in a culture. All are based on pushing each other to new heights. Lehman’s mentality is linked to trust in the system. Adding that, it will eventually reap its rewards.
“It has been a long 4 years here at NCC, but the one thing that has stayed consistent in my philosophy was trusting the coaches and my teammates around me. Having an environment surrounded by people that want to see you be the best that you can means so much and helps me look past the bad days or bad weeks. There have been many rough patches throughout my time here, but staying true to that process has helped me become the best athlete that I can be,” said Lehman.
Lehman also sees the Cardinals’ quiet demeanor and holding each other accountable as cornerstones of their culture. “Having a competitive team yields accountability. Having that small push every day in practice can push us to our goals and even sometimes past our goals,” he said.
On the horizon
The end of the season is coming up soon for the Cardinals. They only have a few chances left to tune up before the CCIW Outdoor Championships.
The season so far indicates what the NCC men’s track and field team can do. The team should have no problem then defending their outdoor championship. In addition, adding another CCIW accolade to their storied history.
