For many cross-country teams in the CCIW, the 8K conference race is the biggest event of the season and the culmination of everything they have worked for. But for the NCC men’s cross-country team, this race is just business as usual.
“The CCIW meet is the beginning of our Championship season,” said head coach Matt Sinnott as he looked forward to the race. “We had positive expectations going into the race and we planned to continue working for the national meet three weeks later.”
The Cardinals came into the day having won 48 consecutive conference titles and were looking to take another one. The team’s ranking was as high as second in the nation by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association going into the race. As the host team, the Cardinals had high expectations for a successful meet, and the team managed to win their 49th consecutive CCIW title.
Individual success
Braden Nicholson, ’24, went into the race knowing that a conference championship was on the line and needed to run well to win it. Nicholson, a senior from Olney, was about to run the last conference race of his college career. In the weeks leading up to the race, Nicholson and the team practiced hard and looked good.
“We’re all extremely hard-working guys, and any one of us could have won it on any given day,” Nicholson said. All six Cardinal runners were feeling great leading up to the race. When the dust settled, it was Nicholson who came out on top.
“It felt great winning the individual title in my last conference cross-country race,” Nicholson said, reflecting on his victory, “but it felt even better turning around and seeing my fellow teammates finishing right behind me.”
It wasn’t just Nicholson who had a great race; all the remaining Cardinal runners finished in the top ten. Nicholson, who ran a 24:24.6, was followed all race by Max Svienty, ’24, who finished second. Svienty was followed by Connor Riss, ’24, who placed third, Drew Guimond, ’25, who finished fourth and first-year student BJ Sorg, ’27, who finished sixth.
Up next
Now the Cardinals will focus on the NCAA Division III Midwest Region Championship. The race will take place on Saturday at Max Cross Country Course in Waverly, Iowa. The Cardinals won this race last year and are looking to win it again this year.
“The official goal is always to be the most prepared team that we can be at the end of the season,” said Coach Sinnott as he prepares his team. “We can control our preparedness; we cannot control an outcome.”
If the Cardinals get to nationals, they will be looking to return to the podium for the first time since 2019, when they finished second.
“All year we’ve been building towards and preparing for the championship part of the season, now is the time we get to put all of our hard work and positive momentum to good use,” Riss said.
It’s going to take a team effort for the Cardinals to reach national success again. However, the team’s confidence is through the roof.
“This team is ready for the national championships,” said Nicholson confidently. “Many of us have been around the program for five years now and thus the chemistry is already there, and we are a tighter, more confident, and loving group than ever before because of it.”
