November 20, 2009
Contact:
Steve Marovich, Sports Information Director (262) 551-5740
E-Mail: stevich@concentric.net or carthagesid@carthage.edu
Carthage 24-Hour Sports Hotline (262) 551-5388
Carthage Men’s Cross Country 16th at NCAA Midwest Regional;
Red Men Finish Fifth at CCIW Championship;
2009 NCAA Midwest Regional The Carthage College men’s cross country team (67-62) completed its 2009 season on Saturday, Nov. 14 by finishing 16th at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Championship at the Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne, Wis. CCIW-member North Central College won the 39-team regional with 21 points, followed by Wisconsin-La Crosse second at 105, Washington University (Mo,) third at 118, Wisconsin-Platteville fourth at 124, Wisconsin-Eau Claire fifth at 169, Wisconsin-Stevens Point sixth at 173, CCIW-member Augustana College (Ill.) seventh at 175, Wisconsin-Whitewater eighth at 181, Wisconsin-River Falls ninth at 300, the University of Chicago 10th at 330, Wisconsin-Oshkosh 11th at 337, conference-member Illinois Wesleyan University 12th at 367, conference-member Wheaton College (Ill.) 13th at 369, Edgewood College 14th at 472, St. Norbert College 15th at 483 and Carthage 16th with 504 points.
2009 CCIW Championship: Carthage finished fifth at the Saturday, Oct. 31 at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Cross Country Championship at Eldridge Park in Elmhurst, Ill. North Central College won its 43rd league title and its 36th in a row with a perfect 15 points. The Cardinal swept the top-nine spots in the race. Augustana College (Ill.) was second at 54, followed by Wheaton College (Ill.) third at 91, Illinois Wesleyan University fourth at 116, Carthage fifth at 153, Elmhurst College sixth at 161, North Park University seventh at 198 and Millikin University eighth with 246 points.
The Coach: Brett Witt is in his ninth year as head coach in 2009 (629-424-1, 9 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 64th year in 2009-10, has sponsored men's cross country as a championship sport since 1960. North Central College has dominated the sport since then, winning 43 league titles thru 2009, including the last 36 in a row. Carthage won CCIW championships in 1966, 1967 and 1973. North Central has won every year since 1973.
The Polls: CCIW-member North Central College was ranked first in the final, regular-season U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches NCAA Division III poll, followed by Wisconsin-La Crosse second, Geneseo State University third, Cortland State University fourth, Wisconsin-Stevens Point fifth, Allegheny College sixth, New York University seventh, Dickinson College eighth, Wisconsin-Platteville ninth and Williams College 10th, and CCIW-member Augustana College (Ill.) ranked 11th. North Central also led the final, regular-season Midwest regional rankings, followed by Wisconsin-La Crosse second, Wisconsin-Stevens Point third, Wisconsin-Platteville fourth, CCIW-member Augustana (Ill.) fifth, Wisconsin-Whitewater sixth, Wisconsin-Eau Claire seventh, Wisconsin-Oshkosh eighth, Washington University (Mo.) ninth and Wisconsin-River Falls tied with conference-member Wheaton College (Ill.) for 10th place.
2009 CCIW Championship Results: North Central College’s Sean Carlson won the 8K race at the CCIW Men’s Cross Country Championship with a time of 26:33.80. Josh Keck (Fr., Minooka, Ill.), in 24th place at 28:15.80, was the top finisher for the Red Men. Jake Mahaffey (Fr., Mahomet, Ill./Mahomet-Seymour) was 26th at 28:27.20, Justin Sebens (Jr., Seymour, Ill./Mahomet-Seymour) 29th at 28:38.70, Tyler Wishau (Sr., Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge) 35th at 28:48.70, and Tom Baran (So., Chicago, Ill./Niles-Notre Dame) was 39th at 29:10.90. Also finishing for Carthage were Derek Hall (So., Ingleside, Ill./Fox Lake-Grant Community) 42nd at 29:39.30, Grant Seiler (Fr., Greenfield, Wis./Milwaukee-Whitnall) non-scoring at 29:40.10, Tylor Lewis (Sr., Waterford, Wis./Union) non-scoring at 29:53.90 and Alex Nelson (Fr., Red Wing, Minn.) non-scoring at 30:17.20.
2009 NCAA Midwest Regional Results: North Central College’s Michael Spain won the 8K race at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional Cross Country Championship with a time of 24:17.90. Carthage’s Jake Mahaffey (Fr., Mahomet, Ill./Mahomet-Seymour) was 72nd at 26:05.60, Josh Keck (Fr., Minooka, Ill.) 91st at 26:25.60, Justin Sebens (Jr., Seymour, Ill./Mahomet-Seymour) 98th at 26:31.50, Tyler Wishau (Sr., Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge) 118th at 26:49.80, Tom Baran (So., Chicago, Ill./Niles-Notre Dame) 125th at 26:58.70, Derek Hall (So., Ingleside, Ill./Fox Lake-Grant Community) 134th at 27:08.20 and Paul Smith (Fr., Algonquin, Ill./Carpentersville—Dundee-Crown) 166th at 27:44.70.