NAPERVILLE – The longest running championship streak in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) history has been predicted to continue this Saturday when North Central is the favorite at the 2024 CCIW Men’s Cross Country Championship at St. James Farm Forest Preserve in Warrenville, Ill.

2024 CCIW Men's Cross Country Pre-Championship Coaches' Poll

Team (First-place votes)	Points
1. North Central (8)	64
2. Augustana (1)	56
3. Carthage	50
4. Wheaton	38
5. Millikin	37
6. Illinois Wesleyan	29
7. Carroll	25
8. Elmhurst	17
9. North Park	8

The men’s race is scheduled to begin at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday. St. James Farm Forest Preserve will be the site of both the women’s and men’s races. It’s the fourth consecutive year the venue has served as host and the eighth time since 2012. North Park is the official host of the 2024 championship.
 
NCC – ranked fourth nationally by the USTFCCA last Wednesday – collected 64 points from eight first-place votes submitted last week to earn top spot in the poll. The Cardinals totaled 16 points a year ago to claim their 49th consecutive conference championship.
 
Augustana was selected second in the poll. The Vikings, ranked 29th nationally last week, collected one first-place vote to anchor their point total of 56. Carthage (50 points) was third, followed by Wheaton with 38 points and Millikin with 37 points.
 
Sixth spot went to Illinois Wesleyan (29 points) and Carroll (25 points), Elmhurst (17 points) and North Park (eight points) rounded out the ballot.
 
The top returning individual from last season’s race is runner-up Emerald Svienty, one of four Cardinals to return from last season’s top 10. Svienty also owns the fastest 8K time in the CCIW during 2024 this season – a 24:02.2 performance at the Live in Lou Classic in Louisville on Oct. 5.
 
Also eligible to compete Saturday from NCC are 2023 First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year BJ Sorg (sixth), Jacob Kluckhohn (eighth) and Matthew Jett (10th).
 
Joe Langridge of Augustana (fifth) and Bradyn Olmstead of Millikin (ninth) are also eligible to return for the 2024 race after top-10 efforts last season.