Tuesday, November 24, 2009

North Central Wins Big, Coach Carius Honored

After North Central (Naperville) took the NCAA Division III men's cross-country championship on Saturday, more honors headed NCC's way when Al Carius was named men's coach of the year. Here is the news release from the U.S. Track @ Field and Cross County Coaches Association. Congrats to Al and his outstanding runners.

Carius, Schwamberger Earn Division III Cross Country National Coach of the Year Titles
Courtesy: Tom Lewis, USTFCCCA
November 24, 2009
NEW ORLEANS – Al Carius from North Central College and Dan Schwamberger from UW-Eau Claire were named Division III National Cross Country Coaches of the Year Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Carius, was named men’s coach of the year as his North Central College Cardinals took the NCAA Division III national title on Saturday, their first since 1999. With all seven competing runners earning All-America status, the Cardinals decimated the field, finishing with just 50 points, and the fourth-lowest winning total in the meet's history.

In addition, Carius, in his 44th year at North Central, guided the Cardinals to eight invitational wins this season, attaining a perfect score of 15 in three races this fall which included a sweep for their 36th- consecutive College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin crown this season. The Cardinals also won the NCAA Midwest Region title by a commanding 84-point spread and topped Division I Illinois by 16 points at the Illinois Intercollegiate Championships.

Women’s National Coach of the Year Dan Schwamberger, in his third year at the helm at UW-Eau Claire, led the Bluegolds to their second national title in program history and their first in NCAA’s Division III on Saturday. The Bluegolds edged out St. Lawrence, 171-180, for their first national crown since claiming the NAIA Championship in 1984.

This season Schwamberger’s Blugolds also won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title for the third year in a row and the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional for the second-straight year.

St. Lawrence’s Wendy Pavlus and Lynchburg’s Ricky Flynn were honored as the USTFCCCA Division III Cross Country National Athletes of the Year on Saturday following the conclusion of the national championship races.

In addition, 70 student-athletes earned USTFCCCA All-America honors following Saturday’s races.

View a complete list of Division III All-Americans here: http://www.ustfccca.org/assets/awards/div3/allamericans/d3_allamXC_2009.pdf

No comments: