COLFAX, Wis. — The Carthage men's cross country team competed in the 2025 NCAA Division III North Region Cross Country Championships, hosted by Wis-Eau Claire at Whitetail Golf Course on Saturday afternoon. It was another solid outing for the Firebirds, with senior Jacob Curulewski leading the way with a top-five finish.
 

 
Carthage totaled 369 points to finish in 14th place in a field of 31 teams. Wis-La Crosse won the meet with 30 points. Wis- Stevens Point finished as the runner-up with 110 points, while Wis-Platteville placed third with 120 points.

The rest of the top 10 included St. Olaf (128), Wis-Whitewater (166), Wis-Eau Claire (173), Wis-Oshkosh (236), Wis-Stout (277), MSOE (284), and Wis-River Falls (319).
 

 
Curulewski led the Firebirds with a fifth-place finish, crossing the finish line in 24:35.3 and finishing less than 12 seconds of the regional champion Mohammed Bati of Augsburg, who won the race in 24:23.7. Harlan Matson placed 74th in the field with a time of 26:26.8, with Luke Davey finishing next for the Firebirds in 91st place with a time of 26:47.6. Connor Wood also placed in the top 100 runners, crossing the finish line in 27:04.3 for 98th place. Luke Adair rounded out the scoring five for the Firebirds in 101st place with a time of 27:06.3.



Jacob placed fifth overall with a time of 24:35.3, finishing less than 12 seconds behind the race winner. How did you evaluate his performance today, and what does a race like this mean for him and the program moving forward?

"Jacob put together another great race today," said Head Coach Josh Henry. "Our goal was a strong but smooth effort today to leave a little in the tank for nationals next weekend. I think he was able to accomplish that mission as he will be an individual qualifier and I don't feel like he was overly pressed today. We're excited to see what he can do next week."

Your scoring pack finished 74th, 91st, 98th, and 101st to complete the team score of 369 and a 14th-place team finish. What stood out to you about the way your group executed their race plan in a competitive field filled with nationally strong programs?

"For the most part we executed well but our number two had a bad day at the wrong time. With how deep the region is, one bad race can really drop you in the team standings. We feel we should have finished as a top ten team and fell just shy of that expectation. It goes to show how important program depth is in order to absorb those inevitable bad days from a few individuals. We can't expect to bat 1.000 every week." 

With a team average of 26:23 and several athletes bunched together in the middle of the race, what are the key areas of focus as you prepare for the next championship phase—both in terms of individual development and tightening the scoring pack?

"Looking ahead to track we will be focused on continuing to take the steps our young group needs in order to be the team we want to be next year. Losing a low stick in Jacob will be a blow, but there's a path to success for this group that'll be largely focused on pack running. We will need to get everyone that's returning to bunch up and slide up by next November."


 
Curulewski will wait to officially punch his ticket as an individual qualifier to the NCAA Championships on Saturday, Nov. 22. The field of qualifiers is slated to be announced on Sunday, Nov. 16. For more information, visit athletics.carthage.edu.