November 22, 2011
Contact:
Steve Marovich, Sports Information Director (262) 551-5740
E-Mail: stevemarovich@tds.net or carthagesid@carthage.edu
Carthage Web Page: http://athletics.carthage.edu/index.aspx
Carthage 24-Hour Sports Hotline (262) 551-5388
Men’s Cross Country Sixth at the CCIW Championship;
Red Men’s Jake Mahaffey Finishes 28th at the Conference Meet
2011 CCIW Championship: The Carthage College men’s cross country team (58-75-1) finished sixth at the Saturday, Oct. 29 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Cross Country Championship at the Montrose Harbor and Golf Course in Chicago. North Central College won its 45th league title and 38th in a row with 15 points. Wheaton College (Ill.) was second at 53, followed by Augustana College (Ill.) third at 76, Illinois Wesleyan University fourth at 120, Elmhurst College fifth at 138, Carthage sixth at 158, Millikin University seventh at 214 and North Park University eighth with 250 points.
2011 NCAA Midwest Regional: Carthage closed out its 2011 season by finishing 21st at the Saturday, Nov. 12 at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Championship at the Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Ill. North Central College won the 39-team regional championship with 42 points, followed by Washington University (Mo.) second at 114, Wisconsin-Oshkosh third at 136, Wisconsin-La Crosse fourth at 141 and Wheaton College (Ill.) fifth with 151 points.
2011 NCAA Men’s Cross Country Championship: North Central College and Wheaton College (Ill.) represented the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin at the Saturday, Nov. 19 NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country Championship at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne, Wis. North Central (Ill.) won its second national title in three years and its 14th overall
The Polls: CCIW-member North Central College (8 first-place votes) was ranked first in the final, regular-season U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll, followed by Haverford College second, Washington University (Mo.) third, Calvin College fifth, CCIW-member Wheaton College (Ill.) fifth, Dickinson College sixth, Williams College seventh, Wisconsin-Oshkosh eighth, the State University of New York-Geneseo ninth and Bates College ranked 10th. CCIW-member Augustana College (Ill.) ranked 19th in the national poll. North Central (Ill.) was ranked first in the final, regular-season Midwest Regional poll, followed by Washington University (Mo.) second, conference-member Wheaton (Ill.) third, Wisconsin-Oshkosh fourth, Wisconsin-La Crosse fifth, the University of Chicago sixth, Wisconsin-Platteville seventh, CCIW-member Augustana (Ill.) eighth, Wisconsin-Stevens Point ninth and Wisconsin-Eau Claire ranked 10th.
The Coach: Brett Witt completed his 11th year as head coach in 2011 (742-568-2, 11 years) after serving as an assistant coach for both the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
The Conference: The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, in its 66th year in 2011-12, has sponsored men's cross country as a championship sport since 1960. North Central College has dominated the sport since then, winning 45 league titles thru 2010, including the last 38 in a row. Carthage won CCIW championships in 1966, 1967 and 1973. North Central has won every year since 1973.
CCIW Runner of the Week: Nate Veldt (Jr., Pamplona, Spain) from Wheaton College (Ill.) was named College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin “Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Week on Oct. 25. Veldt placed second at the Oct. 21 North Central College “Cardinal Open” with a time of 15:00.58.
2011 NCAA Midwest Regional Notes: North Central’s Matt Perez won the 8K race with a time of 24:41.70. Carthage’s Grant Seiler (Jr., Greenfield, Wis./Whitnall) finished 85th with a time of 26:41.50, and Jake Mahaffey (Jr., Mahomet, Ill. /Mahomet-Seymour) was 99th at 26:54.80. J.D. Fuller (Fr., Woodstock, Ill) was 131st at 27:42.80, Derek Hall (Sr., Ingleside, Ill./Fox Lake-Grant Community) 154th at 28:06.90, Eric Bernard (So., Darien, Ill./Downers Grove-South) 157th at 28:08.10, and Jose Flores (Sr., Round Lake, Ill./Fox Lake-Grant Community) finished 197th at 28:53.90.
2011 CCIW Championship Notes: North Central’s Matt Perez took individual honors with a time of 25:15.87, while teammate Neal Kline was second at 25:23.95. 27:04.21. Carthage’s Jake Mahaffey (Jr., Mahomet, Ill. /Mahomet-Seymour) finished 28th with a time of 27:04.21, and J.D. Fuller (Fr., Woodstock, Ill) was 37th at 27:40.45 Will Novorolsky (So., Elburn, Ill./St. Charles-North) was 40th at 27:50.75, Grant Seiler (Jr., Greenfield, Wis./Whitnall) 41st at 27:51.57, and Derek Hall (Sr., Ingleside, Ill./Fox Lake-Grant Community) was 45th 28:12.96. Also running for the Red Men were Alex Nelson (Jr., Red Wing, Minn.) 53rd at 28:41.46, Josh Keck (Jr., Minooka, Ill.) 55th at 28:59.41, Jose Flores (Sr., Round Lake, Ill./Fox Lake-Grant Community) 56th at 29:17.51 and Russell Wetzel (Sr., Champaign, Ill./Central) 57th at 29:29.72.