SPARTANBURG, S.C. --- Carthage’s Jacob Curulewski placed eighth overall to secure the Firebirds’ first-ever All-American, while College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) champion North Central placed 10th as a team at the NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country Championship, Saturday morning at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, S.C.
 
Curulewski, who won the CCIW Championship on Nov. 1 in Rock Island, Ill., clocked in at 23:56.0 on Saturday, just 21 seconds off the pace of race winner Emmanuel Leblond of Johns Hopkins.
 
North Central placed 10th overall with 315 points. The finish capped a season in which the Cardinals captured their 51st consecutive CCIW title and extended their streak to 58 straight appearances at the NCAA Championships. The Cardinals were led by two All-Americans, as junior B.J. Sorg finished 30th in 24:33.7 after positioning himself in the top 20 by the 2K mark, and sophomore Oscar Frontjes followed closely in 32nd at 24:34.9, climbing from 48th place early in the race to secure his first All-America honor.
 
NCC senior/graduate student Jacob Kluckhohn nearly joined them in the top 40, placing 45th in 24:47.6 -- just three seconds off his personal best. Senior Aidan Armstrong finished 132nd in 25:33.9 after a strong move in the final stretch and sophomore Ari Elmayan placed 179th in 25:50.9, having run inside the top 100 at the 3K mark. Freshman Jack Galminas made his nationals debut with a 204th-place finish in 26:03.5, while junior Nolan Crooks rounded out the Cardinals’ lineup in 246th with a time of 26:27.0.