NORTHFIELD – The Carthage men's cross country team returned to Northfield, Minn. on Saturday afternoon to compete in the 2024 NCAA Division III North Region Cross Country Championships. The Firebirds historic season continued to shine, as the squad came away with their best finish at the North Regional Championships in program history.
The Firebirds took sixth place with a score of 185 points, a 111-point improvement from the team's performance at the 2023 Championships, which had previously been the best finish in program history.
Wis-La Crosse won the meet with a score of 40 points and earned the automatic qualifier spot to the National Championship meet. Wis-Whitewater placed second with 78 points, while St. Olaf placed third with 87 points. Wis-Stevens Point finished fourth with 158 points, and Wis-Eau Claire rounded out the top five with 178 points.
Jacob Curulewski led the Firebirds with a sixth place finish in 24:36.3. Craig Hundley II placed 21st, crossing the line in 25:04.8. Ethan Walker placed 46th with a time of 25:29.7, while Trevor Swanson finished 49th at 25:31.3. Micah Anderson closed out the scoring five for the Firebirds with a finishing time of 25:53.0 in 63rd place.
"I am incredibly proud of the season we have had and what this group has accomplished," said Head Coach Josh Henry. "Regardless of how the NCAA Championships selection comes out tomorrow, it's been a historic year for this group filled with incredible accomplishments.
Jacob has had a lot of wow moments this season, but none bigger than today. Finishing sixth amongst some of the nations best was truly incredible and fun to watch. He deservingly punched his ticket to Terre Haute, Ind. regardless of the team outcome. Craig battled for a hard fought 21st place finish and he too stands a strong shot to qualify individually if the team doesn't advance. Our 3-5 of Walker, Trevor, and Micah had arguably their best day of the season, which was key in the team battle.
Now we wait for the NCAAs announcement to come out at 2 p.m. central tomorrow. Regardless of that outcome, it's been a great day and a great season to be a bird!"
The Firebirds will wait to learn if their efforts will earn them a trip to the NCAA National Championship meet. The announcement is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.
