FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

Results (revised team scores 1/18)

KENOSHA, Wis. (Jan. 15, 2011)-- The defending national champion North Central College men's track & field squad opened up the 2011 season on Saturday, claiming five provisional qualifiers and 11 event winners to dominate the Private College Invitational at Carthage College's Tarble Center.

The Cardinals, who claimed the 2010 indoor and outdoor national championships, amassed 223 points in the team standings, outdistancing the runner-up and host Red Men by 116 points. Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) was third at the 10-team invite, tallying 91 points.

Zach Heerspink accounted for two of the Cardinals' provisional qualifying efforts, winning the high jump after clearing 6 feet 8 3/4 inches while also claiming the long jump with a leap of 22' 10 3/4". Matt Borchardt finished runner-up in the high jump, clearing 6' 3 /12" while winning the pentathlon on Friday night, amassing a provisional qualifying 3,538 points. Borchardt's performance in the pentathlon high jump was also a provisional effort, clearing 6' 7 3/4".

Robert Kapustka hit the provisional qualifying mark in the weight throw, winning the event with a toss of 60' 6".

Frank Wlekinski tied for first in the pole vault, clearing 13' 5 3/4" while Robert Kingery was runner-up in the shot put with a heave of 48' 11 3/4".

On the track, Robert Lott blazed to the victory in the 55-meter dash, crossing the tape in 6.69 while Robert Sweatman won the 200-meter dash in 23.24. Nick Galanes was runner-up in the 55-meter hurdles (8.14), Donald Smith finished third in the 200 (23.55) while Jon Howard was third in the 400-meter dash, clocking a 51.50.

In the distance events, Mitchell Gilbert tied for first in the 5,000-meters, crossing the finish line simultaneously with Ripon College's Jason Smith in 15:51.16 while Aaron Ferst was three-tenths of a second back in third. Pat Lesiewicz was third in the 3,000-meters, finishing in 8:54.42.

North Central showed its strength in the relays, earning a sweep of all three events. The Cardinals won the 4x200-meter relay by over three seconds in 1:31.38, captured the 4x400-meter relay by over eight seconds in 3:24.36 while claiming the top two finishers in the distance medley relay, winning the event by over 14 seconds in 10:55.22.

The Cardinals return to action on Friday, hosting the Cardinal Opener at the Al B. Carius Track with action slated to get underway at 5 p.m.