NAPERVILLE --- The 2025 men’s cross country season is underway, and CCIW programs wasted no time making their mark. North Central hit the ground running with back-to-back team victories, while Augustana, Carthage and Millikin each delivered strong finishes to highlight the early slate. Elmhurst and Illinois Wesleyan notched team titles of their own, Wheaton and Carroll showed promise in competitive fields and North Park flashed young talent in its opener.
Across the league, standout individual performances and depth are setting the stage for a highly competitive fall.
NORTH CENTRAL RANKED SIXTH IN NEW USTFCCA POLL
North Central holds at #6 in the national rankings according to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Week One Coaches’ Poll released Wednesday.
In the organization’s annual preseason poll, the Cardinals were ranked sixth nationally and have maintained that ranking through two weeks of competition.
Much of the USTFCCCA top five remained the same, with Wisconsin-La Crosse leading the rankings with 298 points and eight first-place votes. Wartburg totaled two first-place votes and 292 points for the No. 2 spot -- and is the one team ahead of the Cardinals in the regional rankings -- while SUNY Geneseo took third with 276 points. Pomona-Pitzer has jumped ahead of Johns Hopkins since the preseason poll, as Pomona-Pitzer totaled 270 points for fourth, and Johns Hopkins’s 264 points were good for fifth.
CARDINALS SWEEP EARLY MEETS
North Central claimed its first win of the 2025 season at the NCCXC Invitational on Sept. 5, registering a perfect score of 15 points. The Cardinals dominated the event, sweeping the top six collegiate finishes at St. James Farm in Warrenville, Ill. … The Cardinals continued their winning streak at the Aurora Spartan XC Classic on Sept. 13, securing another team victory with 22 points. Despite rain-soaked conditions, six North Central runners posted top-10 finishes, outpacing Purdue University Northwest.
BJ Sorg delivered a commanding performance at the NCCXC Invitational, taking the top spot in the 8K race with a time of 24:26.10. He was the only competitor to complete the course in under 25 minutes, establishing a significant lead from early on. Sorg was also recognized as the CCIW Student-Athlete of the Week and earned the first National Athlete of the Week honor … Oscar Frontjes secured second place at the NCCXC Invitational, clocking in at 25:04.40.
Jacob Kluckhohn finished third at the NCCXC Invitational, posting a time of 25:05.50. He and Frontjes kicked strongly in the home stretch, solidifying the team's perfect score … Ari Elmayan made a big splash in his 2025 season debut at the Aurora Spartan XC Classic, finishing as the runner-up with a new personal-best time of 26:51.6. His performance earned him the CCIW Student-Athlete of the Week selection on Tuesday.
VIKINGS OFF AND RUNNING WITH STRONG EARLY FINISHES
Augustana opened the season on a high note by finishing second out of nine competing teams at the Bob Schultz Invite in Dubuque, Iowa on Aug. 29 … The Vikings also ran in the Luther All-American Invite in Decorah, Iowa on Sept. 13 where they placed third among four teams.
Christian Haywood consistently led the Vikings, securing an eighth-place finish at the Luther All-American Invite with a time of 22:00.4. He also was Augustana's top finisher at the Bob Schultz Invite, recording a 5K time of 16:16.4, which ranked him third among all CCIW student-athletes for 5K times … Jaden Gocken finished 13th at the Luther All-American Invite with a time of 22:16.2. At the Bob Schultz Invite, he placed 18th with a 5K time of 16:27.8.
Daniel Prochaska delivered strong individual results for the Vikings, placing 15th at the Luther All-American Invite in 22:19.7. His performance at the Bob Schultz Invite was a 23rd-place showing with a time of 16:41.1 …Ethan Storie ran well and contributed to the team's early success, clinching 20th place at the Bob Schultz Invite with a time of 16:32.2.
CURULEWSKI PACES CARTHAGE AS FIREBIRDS OPEN STRONG
Carthage kicked off the 2025 season with a strong showing at the Vic Godfrey Open on Sept. 5, securing a third-place finish in an eight-team field. They accumulated 87 points in a field that included Marquette and Wisconsin-Parkside … The Firebirds competed at the Ken Weidt Classic hosted by Concordia Wisconsin on Sept. 13 where they placed fourth among seven teams. Carthage gathered 85 points in this event, with their tight front pack keeping them in contention throughout the race.
Jacob Curulewski delivered a commanding performance at the Vic Godfrey Open, winning the 6K race with a time of 18:41.3, which marked his first collegiate cross country victory. This time also the fastest in the league in 2025 … Harlan Matson placed eighth at the Vic Godfrey Open with a time of 19:06.0.
Luke Davey contributed to the Firebirds' team score at the Vic Godfrey Open, placing 22nd overall with a time of 19:55.1 … Michael Herres led Carthage at the Ken Weidt Classic, securing an 11th-place finish with a time of 28:03.5. His performance was part of a strong front pack effort by the juniors and seniors that kept the Firebirds competitive in the race.
ELMHURST SOARS WITH TEAM TITLE AT NORTH PARK INVITE
Elmhurst started the 2025 season with a dominant win at the North Park Invite on Aug. 29, securing the team title with 35 points. EU outperformed runner-up Dominican and third-place Illinois Tech, placing four runners in the top 12 … Following their opener, the Bluejays logged a third-place finish at the NCCXC Invitational on Sept. 5, accumulating 105 points in the 8K race.
David Valkanov has paced EU, winning the individual title at the North Park Invite with a 5K time of 16:00.4 – the top 5K time in the CCIW this fall. He also led Elmhurst at the NCCXC Invitational, finishing 17th with a personal-best 8K time of 26:00.7, and was named CCIW Men's Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Week on Sept. 3 … Michael Bailey consistently delivered strong performances for the Bluejays, securing fourth place at the North Park Invite with a 5K time of 16:11.8. He also turned in a personal-best 8K time of 26:17.7 at the NCCXC Invitational, placing 22nd overall.
Eric Martinez was another key contributor, finishing fifth at the North Park Invite with a 5K time of 16:19.4. He continued his strong form at the NCCXC Invitational, where he set a personal-best 8K time of 26:18.6, placing 24th … Brandon Pounders earned a 12th-place finish at the North Park Invite with a time of 17:19.8. He also recorded a personal-best 8K time of 28:10.1 at the NCCXC Invitational.
CROSS LEADS WHEATON IN SOLID SEASON OPENER
Wheaton opened up the campaign at the NCCXC Invitational on Sept. 5. The Thunder secured a fourth-place finish in a field of six teams with 118 points.
Joshua Cross was the leading runner for Wheaton, completing the 8K course in a time of 26:39.0. This performance also placed him on the CCIW's list for top 8K times …Josh Steiner was closely behind Cross, finishing in 33rd place with a time of 26:47.1.
Matthias Everest ran the course in 27:13.0, securing 49th place for the Thunder … Jude Hubbard finished 51st with a time of 27:31.4.
PERFECT BIG BLUE DOMINATE SEASON OPENER
Millikin hit the course in 2025 with a dominant performance at the H.W. Wright Classic on Aug. 29 in Decatur, capturing the team title with a perfect score of 15 points … The Big Blue continued their strong showing by earning runner-up honors at the Prairie Stars Invitational on Sept. 5 in Springfield. They finished second with 61 points, behind only host Illinois-Springfield.
Reece Peters was a leading runner for Millikin, winning the 6K H.W. Wright Classic with a time of 19:53.6 and placing second overall at the Prairie Stars Invitational on the 7K course with a time of 21:52.29. His 6K time from the H.W. Wright Classic also ranked as the third-best in the CCIW in 2025 … Brock Richards finished second at the H.W. Wright Classic with a time of 20:52.4 and earned 11th place at the Prairie Stars Invitational in 22:39.35.
Joey McGinn was consistent for MU, securing third place at the H.W. Wright Classic in 20:52.5 and placing 16th at the Prairie Stars Invitational with a time of 23:02.13 … Ryne Norton, a newcomer, made an immediate impact, sealing the top five for Millikin at the Prairie Stars Invitational with an 18th-place finish and a time of 23:09.70.
IWU STRIKES EARLY, TAKES TITAN OPENER
Illinois Wesleyan started with a dominant performance at the Titan Opener on Aug. 29 in Normal, claiming the team title in a small field …The Titans later competed at the Redbird Invitational on Sept. 12, where they secured a sixth-place finish in a field that primarily consisted of NCAA Division I programs.
Seth Hamerski had an outstanding start to the season, earning his first collegiate victory by winning the three-mile race at the Titan Opener with a time of 16:02.50. He continued to lead the Titans at the Redbird Invitational, where he was the team's best finisher, placing 53rd with an 8K time of 26:41.20 … Zach Marquardt was also a strong performer for the Titans, securing a second-place finish at the Titan Opener just ten seconds behind Hamerski, clocking a three-mile time of 16:12.40. He also ran at the Redbird Invitational, where he finished 68th with an 8K time of 28:25.90.
Carson Davis placed fifth at the Titan Opener with a time of 16:26.50. He later ran a personal best at the Redbird Invitational, recording an 8K time of 27:19.7, improving his previous best by over a minute … Jack Thomas was a key finisher for IWU, taking fourth place at the Titan Opener with a three-mile time of 16:17.50. He also competed in the Redbird Invitational, where he finished 62nd with an 8K time of 27:30.90.
PIOS POST STEADY OPENING
Carroll finished sixth out of nine competing teams in its 2025 opener at the Tom Barry Invitational on Aug. 30. The team recorded a score of 57 points, placing them just four points shy of the fifth-place team … The Pioneers followed at the Ken Weidt Classic on Sept. 13, where they placed fifth out of seven teams.
Ethan Weber led the Pios, finishing 51st overall at the Tom Barry Invitational with a 6K time of 20:51.67. He later led Carroll at the Ken Weidt Classic, securing 10th place overall with an 8K time of 27:24.0, maintaining a strong sub-5:30 mile average … Sam Daley made an impact by placing 71st at the Tom Barry Invitational with a time of 21:35.74, helping to round out the team's score. He also contributed at the Ken Weidt Classic, clocking a time of 28:42.9.
Bailey Olson finished 68th overall in the opener with a 6K time of 21:35.74. He continued his contributions at the Ken Weidt Classic, where he crossed the line in 28:53.5 … Julian Bica Harrison was among the team's faster runners, placing 63rd overall at the Tom Barry Invitational with a 6K time of 21:12.61. At the Ken Weidt Classic, the sophomore finished within seconds of teammate Luke Adams, recording a time of 29:12.2 to help secure the team's top-five placement.
KARATAS, FREIHOLTZ SET THE TONE FOR NORTH PARK
North Park opened the 2025 season by running in a co-hosted invite alongside Concordia Chicago on Aug. 31 … The team later participated in the Vic Godfrey Invite at Wisconsin-Parkside on Sept. 5.
Ali Karatas has paced the Vikings in their early-season races. He secured a tenth-place finish at the season opener with a time of 17:09 and was the Vikings' top runner at the Vic Godfrey Invite, finishing 44th in 20:40.4 … Albin Freiholtz landed 33rd in the opener, logging a time of 18:47.4 in his collegiate debut.
Eyden Luc Agicic also contributed to the team's efforts at the Vic Godfrey Invite. He was the second-fastest finisher for North Park at that event, securing 64th place with a time of 21:38.1.