FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

USTFCCCA Top 35 Coaches' Poll

Oct. 20, 2010-- The North Central College men's cross country team is the nation's top ranked team for the fifth consecutive week as the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Association released the seventh installment of the NCAA Division III National Cross Country Coaches' Poll on Wednesday.

The Cardinals remain a unanimous No. 1, collecting all eight first place votes and accumulating 280 points. Allegheny College (Pa.) rises one spot to second with 272 points followed by the State University of New York-Geneseo in third with 259 points. Calvin College (Mich.) and Haverford College (Pa.) round out the top five in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Augustana College is the only other College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin squad to appear in the rankings, falling four places to 18th with 132 points.

North Central cruised to the victory at Saturday's 37-team University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Brooks Invitational, scoring 49 points to outpace runner-up and fourth-ranked Calvin by a 29-point margin. Michael Spain continued his early season dominance, winning top individual honors after completing the 8,000-meter course in a season-best time of 24:22, a full 17 seconds ahead of the next closest competitor.

The Cardinals have the weekend off before focusing their attention on the CCIW Championships on Oct. 30 where they will look to secure their 37th consecutive conference crown and their 44th overall conference title.