GENEVA, Ill. (naccsports.org) --- Milwaukee School of Engineering showcased exceptional team depth, placing 11 runners in the top 16 Saturday en route to the men's title at the 2024 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Cross Country Championships at Northwestern Medicine Cross Country Course.
The Raiders finished with just 21 points to secure a fourth consecutive NACC crown and a sixth in program history. Wisconsin Lutheran College (77) edged Aurora University (87) and Concordia University Wisconsin (92) for second place, while Illinois Institute of Technology (132) took fifth ahead of St. Norbert College (146), Dominican University (193), Rockford University (232), and Concordia University Chicago (248). Benedictine University and Edgewood College did not field complete teams.
A total of 10 MSOE runners, led by individual champion
Xander Gottner (24:59.91), captured all-conference honors. Also medaling for the Raiders were
Adam Shaw (third, 25:57.78),
Samuel McPeak (fourth, 25:30.99),
Kolby Dax (sixth, 25:43.44),
Austin Springer (seventh, 25:49.07),
Ryan Alyassir (ninth, 26:20.25),
Calder Bica-Harrison (11th, 26:21.91),
Nolan Pinion (12th, 26:22.78),
Jackson Braun (13th, 26:24.03), and
Chase Nogalski (15th, 26:27.70). An 11th runner - Scout Stokes - just missed all-league honors with a 16th-place finish (26:37.87).
Defending individual champion
Timmy Brey of Concordia Wisconsin finished second (25:18.26), concluding a NACC Championship career that included a fifth-place finish, two runner-up finishes, and the 2023 title. Wisconsin Lutheran's
Isaiah Herried (fifth, 25:43.18), Benedictine's
Karan Shetty (eighth, 26:08.41), Concordia Wisconsin's
Isaiah Lubner (10th, 26:21.09), and Illinois Tech's
Joey Loriso (14th, 26:27.49) rounded out the all-conference selections.
Gottner, who led wire-to-wire in the 8-kilometer race, is the fourth NACC men's individual champion from MSOE. Teammate Pinion was named the NACC Freshman of the Year as the top-finishing true freshman, becoming the fifth Raider to capture that honor.
MSOE completed the sweep of the major awards at the championships as head coach
Bill Massoels was named the NACC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year. It is the sixth time in seven seasons that Massoels or a Massoels-led staff has been recognized by their peers.
Regionals Next For Most Progams
For most programs, the NACC Championships serve as the final tune-up for NCAA regionals on November 16. The NACC's Wisconsin schools will participate in the NCAA DIvision III North Regional on the campus of Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, while the NACC's Illinois schools will compete in the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional at Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Illinois. The only exception will be St. Norbert, which is slated to compete in the Ripon Red Hawk Open on Thursday, Nov. 7.
The 2024 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships will be held Saturday, Nov. 23, on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.