Grey won the first national title of his career with a decisive victory in the hammer throw and Nageotte won her second national crown in pole vault. Both athletes came to Colorado seeded first in their respective events.

Grey led the field with a throw of 231-3. In second place was Abilene Christian's Baptiste Kerjean with a throw of 218-0.

DII WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Accepted Qualifiers
Championship: Program | Information

Nageotte won a national championship in indoors earlier this year. Her winning leap on Thursday was 14-5.25, good enough for a championship and facility record. It breaks the mark of 13-7.25, established last season by Kristen Hixson of Grand Valley State. Hixson was third on Thursday (13-9.25). Second place went to Hillsdale's Kayla Caldwell at 14-5.25.

At the conclusion of the day's action, the AU men were sitting in first place with 15 points, followed by Stillman (10).

The Ashland women were tied for first place. The Eagles and Grand Valley State ended the day with 15 points each. Wayne State (Neb.) was third with 12 points.

Sophomore Zac Ball continued his strong, end-of-the-year push by finishing fourth in hammer. He picked up the first All-America honor of his career with a throw of 202-0.

In the women's hammer throw, freshman Cynthia Watt was fourth at 189-8. Sophomore Jessica Bridenthal was 10th (177-0) and sophomore Kim Habegger was 12th (172-10).

The rest of AU's championship contingent was competing in preliminaries.

In the men's 1,500, sophomore Brian Baum earned a berth in the finals with a fourth-place time of 3:57.85. Senior Joe Horn secured a spot in the final of the 100 by placing ninth in 10.31. Horn was part of the 4X400 relay that finished fourth. The quartet's time was 40.19 behind St. Augustine's first-place 39:01. Horn was joined in the 4X400 by freshman Eric Thompkins and juniors DeAndre Davis and Jordan Hoppel.

Sophomore Waquiem Comar made the cut in the 400 hurdles, placing eighth (52.16). His teammate, sophomore Elijha Owens finished 11th (52.72) and failed to reach the final.

Ashland had three runners competing in the 400, but no one advanced to the final. Junior Keith Cleveland was 12th (47.12), senior Cory Lamar was 17th (47.62) and junior Jacob Cook was 19th (47.75).

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- A foot fault from disappointment, Whitworth senior Carter Comito stepped in the discus circle at Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Roger Harring Stadium on Thursday and prepared to throw yet again.

In danger because of two previous errors in the event’s preliminary round, he had to make a clean attempt on his third and final throw or not advance to the final.

“A lot of it is just confidence,” Comito said. “After I had those two early fouls, I just had to kind of tell myself, ‘You got this, you’ve done it before. Just let it happen’. I’d say the biggest thing probably is confidence.”

Instead, he unleashed a 56.49-meter throw that eclipsed anything from his nearest competitor. Although his three throws in the nine-man final round were longer, he’d already won his third consecutive discus title and the first of the 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

“After that, it was just a huge relief to get one out there,” Comito said of fouling on his first two throws.

No one else came close. Defiance senior Tom Postema finished second with a top throw of 178-6 (54.42 meters), but once Comito stepped out of his own way, it was a cruise to a third DIII outdoor title and his third All-American honor.

“Nerves, I guess,” he said of his foot faults. “I was trying to throw too far. I just couldn’t relax, a little too on edge.”

DIII MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day 1
Maloof: Comito recovers from faults to win title
Maloof: Dennis living up to unusual name
Preview
Moore: Franciscan distance runner Jones confident, looks to bounce back
Maloof: Wisconsin schools among team favorites; individual defenses on line
Accepted Qualifiers: Men's Entries
Championship: Program | Information

In fact, he says his instinct, upon completing that crucial third throw, was to look down at his positioning, rather than where his discus landed.

“It was less when I saw it land and more when I saw my foot step inside the ring,” Comito said. “My first two fouls, my right foot stepped out then my left foot stepped out. I was just kind of trying to stand away from the front of the ring — doing a little dance to not foul. Then I saw it land and I was pretty happy.”

Comito’s victory came in one of four men’s finals on the opening day of the DIII outdoor championships. Contested at Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex, the event runs through Saturday, with the overall team champion crowned that afternoon.

“Great coaching, great parents, just a great team, I guess,” Comito said of his discus run. “It’s been a great four years.”

It’s not quite over. The Spokane, Wash.,2 native tackles the shot put on Saturday, undoubtedly hoping for less drama. On Thursday, he followed his make-or-break third throw with successive, final-round efforts at 58.48 meters, 58.23 meters and an event-best 60.38 (198-1). The latter was a DIII championship meet record.

“Some of them just feel easy and those are the good ones,” Comito said.

Melissa Norville, an Illinois College senior, won her consecutive outdoor title in the long jump. Michelle Favre, a Ramapo senior, won the pole vault, completing a sweep of both DIII events. Favre won the indoor title earlier this year. And, Calvin junior Nicole Michmerhuizen won the women’s 10,000 meters, capturing her first individual national championship.

For Norville, Thursday’s triumph at Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Roger Harring Stadium was the seventh national title of her career. Top-ranked in the long jump entering Thursday’s event, she saved her best for last, posting a 20-foot, five-inch effort.

“I was seeded to win it, but just because I was seeded to win it doesn’t really mean anything, especially with the way the weather has been,” Norville said. “But I did feel good. Warming up [Thursday], I felt very relaxed. And even though I was nervous, my body felt really good.

“Even my first jump, I scratched and my second won wasn’t that great, I knew I could pop a couple of good ones so I felt pretty good, actually, jumping [Thursday].”

DIII WOMEN'S OUTDOOR T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day 1
Maloof: Wartburg coach inspired by mother
Maloof: Hamline's Culp wins discus
Preview
Maloof: Wartburg team, individual champs out to defend titles
Accepted Qualifiers: Women's Entries
Championship: Program | Information

Wednesday’s rainy, chilly practice day and Thursday’s breezy conditions were a factor. After testing her approach in Thursday run-throughs, she backed up 'five shoes,’ a considerable distance from where she takes a typical mark.

But, though she spent most of Wednesday working on hurdle starts — she’ll also compete in the 100-meter hurdles and triple jump later in this week’s three-day meet —she could tell the track surface was to her liking. And after testing the long jump board on Thursday, she liked the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex location even better.

“I was really excited,” Norville said of the track. “I was like, ‘oh, this is going to be great. And I felt the board in warm-ups and I was like, it’s a good board, too. I felt really good [Thursday].”

So did Favre, who cleared 13-5.35 feet in her title-winning pole vault.

Dissatisfied in recent weeks with her results — she’s been trying newer, longer poles to improve her height — she returned to a shorter indoor pole for Thursday’s initial competition vaults, although a newer pole was necessary to muscle through the clinching vault. Second-place finisher Anna Etherington, a junior from Washington (Mo.), helped push Favre through her new-pole struggles.

“I knew it would’ve been a struggle to win [Thursday] if I had to think about being comfortable and winning,” Favre said. “And Anna [Etherington] did really well [Thursday]. I definitely would’ve been freaking out. That last one she was jumping at the 4-15 (meter mark) and I was like really nervous, but I was excited, too, because she was going to make me jump at the bars I want to jump at.”

Favre, who took up vaulting on a high-school friend’s dare, is a former gymnast. She says the carry-over from her tumbling days proved an asset in pole vaulting.

“I think that’s my personality too,” Favre said. “I’m more an adventurous person. Just the strength in general and the body movement helps a lot from gymnastics. You’re gong upside down pretty much and I had no fears about that after doing back flips in gymnastics.”

Michmerhuizen won the 10,000 meters in thorough fashion, although it thoroughly depleted her energy.

“There’s a reason I’m tired,” she said, smiling afterward.

It was a happy tired. Her winning time of 35:45.08 left no doubt who spent the most time out front.

“I started out more in the back than I wanted to, but I ended moving to the front pretty quickly and after the first 1,000 meters I led most of the race,” she said. “That’s how I would have it if I got to chose. I was worried that the girls right behind me were going to come win in the end, but I ended up holding on to it so I was very happy with that.”

Michmerhuizen was top-ranked in her event, even sweeter considering she finished 20th in last year’s outdoor event. She’ll also compete in Saturday’s 5,000 meters.

“It’s been an awesome season and I’m so thankful and happy for all the support I’ve gotten,” she said. “It’s been a wonderful ride.”

An additional 12 athletes advanced to national quarterfinals to be run on the track on Friday as the 100-meter dash, 400-meter dash, 800-meter run and 400-meter hurdles on Day 2 in Greensboro.

Seniors Damar Forbes and Brittany Porter each earned their spot in the national semifinals for the men’s and women’s long jump, while seniors Joseph Caraway and Thomas Reinecke advanced in the men’s pole vault and sophomore Rodney Brown punched his ticket to Eugene, Ore., in the men’s discus throw.

“This meet is all about doing what you need to do to make it to the next round. I thought both our teams did a great job of that,” LSU head coach Dennis Shaver said. “We got off to a fast start with Rodney [Brown] and Damar [Forbes] making it through in some early field events, and really just continued that throughout the afternoon and into the evening with the events we had on the track.”

Brown got the ball rolling for the Tigers with a runner-up finish in the men’s discus in the first event of the meet as he is set to make his first career semifinals appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Brown took an early lead in the competition by throwing a series-best of 192 feet, 5 inches on his second attempt of the third flight to lock up a coveted top-12 spot for qualification in the NCAA semifinals. He dropped back into second place overall when Rutgers standout James Plummer posted a leading mark of 201-0 in the third round for the top throw of the day.

Brown is poised to become the fifth LSU Tiger in program history to earn All-America honors in the men’s discus throw and the first in 15 seasons since Alex Forst during the 1998 season. He ranks No. 3 in the NCAA rankings this season with his personal best of 206-3 set in a runner-up finish at the Texas Relays on March 30.

Forbes joined Brown in the national semifinals as he followed his teammate with a fourth-place finish in the men’s long jump after posting a top wind-aided mark of 25-0 ½ on his opening jump.

Like Brown, Forbes took the early lead with his opening jump of 25-0 ½ and held strong in third place heading into the finals after he was overtaken by Virginia Tech’s Jeff Artis-Gray with a wind-aided 25-8 ¼. While passing his final three jumps, Forbes dropped into fourth place after East Tennessee State’s Tyler Stepp jumped 25-6 ¾ on his final attempt.

Forbes, the reigning SEC outdoor champion, has his eye on a first career national championship as the NCAA’s No. 1-ranked long jumper for 2013 after taking the conference crown with a career-best wind-aided effort of 27-4 ½ in the SEC final. Forbes has won the NCAA silver medal in the event in each of the last four NCAA championships between the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Porter will join Forbes in the long jump field in Eugene as she secured her spot in the national semifinals with an eighth-place finish in women’s qualifying on Thursday.

Porter, who was the No. 28-ranked long jumper on the women’s side entering the meet, won the second flight and advanced to the final in sixth place overall with a wind-aided mark of 20-1 on her second attempt for the preliminary round.

Two Tiger seniors are also set to make their first semifinals appearance in the men’s pole vault as Caraway and Reinecke were among 12 vaulters in the field clearing the bar at 17-2 ¾. Reinecke took just one attempt to clear 17-2 ¾ and tie for fifth place, while Caraway went up and over the bar on his second attempt to punch their ticket to Eugene.

“We had a number of athletes step it up to put our teams in a good position as we continue here this weekend,” Shaver said. “Getting five through to the semifinals in the field events is big for our team once we go to Eugene, and of course, we advanced well on the track [on Thursday]. That will give us a great opportunity to add to our numbers when we come back [Friday].”

Thursday’s opening day of competition at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds also featured eight Lady Tigers and four Tigers advancing to the quarterfinal rounds of their respective events to run on Friday afternoon.

Juniors Nikita Tracey and Shana-Gaye Tracey and sophomore Chanice Chase each advanced to Friday’s quarterfinal in the women’s 400-meter hurdles with their performance in Thursday’s opener on the track.

Nikita Tracey led the way as the third-fastest heat winner of the day with a strong run of 57.73 seconds to advance to her first NCAA quarterfinal. Chase claimed automatic qualification as the third-fastest finisher in the third heat with a time of 58.97 and Shana-Gaye Tracey advanced on time after running 58.82 for fourth place in the fifth preliminary heat.

Senior Charlene Lipsey and junior Natoya Goule then wrapped up Thursday’s qualifying action by running the two fastest times in the women’s 800 meters to win their first-round heats. Lipsey lined up in the first heat and posted the top time of the day at 2 minutes, 4.25 seconds, while Goule followed by winning the fourth heat in 2:04.50 for the second-fastest time of the opening round.

The Tigers and Lady Tigers will return to Irwin Belk Track for Friday’s second day of competition at the 2013 NCAA East Preliminary Rounds.

DURHAM, N.C. -- Hokie starting pitcher Brad Markey shut down Florida State for eight innings, but it was Mark Zagunis’ solo home run in the bottom of the ninth that gave No. 21 Virginia Tech a 3-2 walk-off victory against the No. 7 Seminoles in the 2013 ACC Championship on Thursday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

The Hokies improved to 2-0 in Pool B play and improved to 37-19 overall with their seventh consecutive win, their 12th win in 13 games and their 15th in 17. It also was their seventh consecutive win at Durham Bulls Athletic Park and fifth this season. Florida State dropped to 44-14 with the loss.

In a classic pitchers’ duel, Markey battled FSU starter Luke Weaver inning for inning as the pair tossed six scoreless innings each without allowing one base runner to touch third base.

It was Tech which broke through first as Tyler Horan hit an infield single before Zagunis tripled to right-center in the bottom of the seventh. Andrew Rash followed with a sac fly to right that put the Hokies up 2-0.

Weaver tossed 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with one walk and nine strikeouts.

In the top of the eighth, DJ Stewart singled with two outs, his third hit of the game, and moved John Sansone, who was hit by a pitch, to third -- the first Seminole to reach that base. However, Markey ended the frame with a strikeout, his career-high-tying 10th of the night.

He went out in the ninth, but allowed a pair of doubles to allow one run to score and pinch-hitter Josh Delph then singled off reliever Clark Labitan to tie the game at 2 before Labitan finished the frame with a pair of grounders to second.

After Horan flew out to left to start the ninth, Zagunis smacked a 2-0 pitch over the Blue Monster in left field to notch his second walk-off home run of the season - and the Hokies' third of the year.

Tech now faces Georgia Tech with the opportunity to advance to the championship game. The game is slated for a 3:07 ET Friday.

Related:
Conference Championship Schedule/Results

An additional 12 athletes advanced to national quarterfinals to be run on the track on Friday as the 100-meter dash, 400-meter dash, 800-meter run and 400-meter hurdles on Day 2 in Greensboro.

Seniors Damar Forbes and Brittany Porter each earned their spot in the national semifinals for the men’s and women’s long jump, while seniors Joseph Caraway and Thomas Reinecke advanced in the men’s pole vault and sophomore Rodney Brown punched his ticket to Eugene, Ore., in the men’s discus throw.

“This meet is all about doing what you need to do to make it to the next round. I thought both our teams did a great job of that,” LSU head coach Dennis Shaver said. “We got off to a fast start with Rodney [Brown] and Damar [Forbes] making it through in some early field events, and really just continued that throughout the afternoon and into the evening with the events we had on the track.”

Brown got the ball rolling for the Tigers with a runner-up finish in the men’s discus in the first event of the meet as he is set to make his first career semifinals appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Brown took an early lead in the competition by throwing a series-best of 192 feet, 5 inches on his second attempt of the third flight to lock up a coveted top-12 spot for qualification in the NCAA semifinals. He dropped back into second place overall when Rutgers standout James Plummer posted a leading mark of 201-0 in the third round for the top throw of the day.

Brown is poised to become the fifth LSU Tiger in program history to earn All-America honors in the men’s discus throw and the first in 15 seasons since Alex Forst during the 1998 season. He ranks No. 3 in the NCAA rankings this season with his personal best of 206-3 set in a runner-up finish at the Texas Relays on March 30.

Forbes joined Brown in the national semifinals as he followed his teammate with a fourth-place finish in the men’s long jump after posting a top wind-aided mark of 25-0 ½ on his opening jump.

Like Brown, Forbes took the early lead with his opening jump of 25-0 ½ and held strong in third place heading into the finals after he was overtaken by Virginia Tech’s Jeff Artis-Gray with a wind-aided 25-8 ¼. While passing his final three jumps, Forbes dropped into fourth place after East Tennessee State’s Tyler Stepp jumped 25-6 ¾ on his final attempt.

Forbes, the reigning SEC outdoor champion, has his eye on a first career national championship as the NCAA’s No. 1-ranked long jumper for 2013 after taking the conference crown with a career-best wind-aided effort of 27-4 ½ in the SEC final. Forbes has won the NCAA silver medal in the event in each of the last four NCAA championships between the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Porter will join Forbes in the long jump field in Eugene as she secured her spot in the national semifinals with an eighth-place finish in women’s qualifying on Thursday.

Porter, who was the No. 28-ranked long jumper on the women’s side entering the meet, won the second flight and advanced to the final in sixth place overall with a wind-aided mark of 20-1 on her second attempt for the preliminary round.

Two Tiger seniors are also set to make their first semifinals appearance in the men’s pole vault as Caraway and Reinecke were among 12 vaulters in the field clearing the bar at 17-2 ¾. Reinecke took just one attempt to clear 17-2 ¾ and tie for fifth place, while Caraway went up and over the bar on his second attempt to punch their ticket to Eugene.

“We had a number of athletes step it up to put our teams in a good position as we continue here this weekend,” Shaver said. “Getting five through to the semifinals in the field events is big for our team once we go to Eugene, and of course, we advanced well on the track [on Thursday]. That will give us a great opportunity to add to our numbers when we come back [Friday].”

Thursday’s opening day of competition at the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds also featured eight Lady Tigers and four Tigers advancing to the quarterfinal rounds of their respective events to run on Friday afternoon.

Juniors Nikita Tracey and Shana-Gaye Tracey and sophomore Chanice Chase each advanced to Friday’s quarterfinal in the women’s 400-meter hurdles with their performance in Thursday’s opener on the track.

Nikita Tracey led the way as the third-fastest heat winner of the day with a strong run of 57.73 seconds to advance to her first NCAA quarterfinal. Chase claimed automatic qualification as the third-fastest finisher in the third heat with a time of 58.97 and Shana-Gaye Tracey advanced on time after running 58.82 for fourth place in the fifth preliminary heat.

Senior Charlene Lipsey and junior Natoya Goule then wrapped up Thursday’s qualifying action by running the two fastest times in the women’s 800 meters to win their first-round heats. Lipsey lined up in the first heat and posted the top time of the day at 2 minutes, 4.25 seconds, while Goule followed by winning the fourth heat in 2:04.50 for the second-fastest time of the opening round.

The Tigers and Lady Tigers will return to Irwin Belk Track for Friday’s second day of competition at the 2013 NCAA East Preliminary Rounds.

Grey won the first national title of his career with a decisive victory in the hammer throw and Nageotte won her second national crown in pole vault. Both athletes came to Colorado seeded first in their respective events.

Grey led the field with a throw of 231-3. In second place was Abilene Christian's Baptiste Kerjean with a throw of 218-0.

DII MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Accepted Qualifiers: Men's Entries
Championship: Program | Information

Nageotte won a national championship in indoors earlier this year. Her winning leap on Thursday was 14-5.25, good enough for a championship and facility record. It breaks the mark of 13-7.25, established last season by Kristen Hixson of Grand Valley State. Hixson was third on Thursday (13-9.25). Second place went to Hillsdale's Kayla Caldwell at 14-5.25.

At the conclusion of the day's action, the AU men were sitting in first place with 15 points, followed by Stillman (10).

The Ashland women were tied for first place. The Eagles and Grand Valley State ended the day with 15 points each. Wayne State (Neb.) was third with 12 points.

Sophomore Zac Ball continued his strong, end-of-the-year push by finishing fourth in hammer. He picked up the first All-America honor of his career with a throw of 202-0.

In the women's hammer throw, freshman Cynthia Watt was fourth at 189-8. Sophomore Jessica Bridenthal was 10th (177-0) and sophomore Kim Habegger was 12th (172-10).

The rest of AU's championship contingent was competing in preliminaries.

In the men's 1,500, sophomore Brian Baum earned a berth in the finals with a fourth-place time of 3:57.85. Senior Joe Horn secured a spot in the final of the 100 by placing ninth in 10.31. Horn was part of the 4X400 relay that finished fourth. The quartet's time was 40.19 behind St. Augustine's first-place 39:01. Horn was joined in the 4X400 by freshman Eric Thompkins and juniors DeAndre Davis and Jordan Hoppel.

Sophomore Waquiem Comar made the cut in the 400 hurdles, placing eighth (52.16). His teammate, sophomore Elijha Owens finished 11th (52.72) and failed to reach the final.

Ashland had three runners competing in the 400, but no one advanced to the final. Junior Keith Cleveland was 12th (47.12), senior Cory Lamar was 17th (47.62) and junior Jacob Cook was 19th (47.75).

DIII WOMEN'S OUTDOOR T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day 1
Maloof: Wartburg coach inspired by mother
Maloof: Hamline's Culp wins discus
Preview
Maloof: Wartburg team, individual champs out to defend titles
Accepted Qualifiers: Women's Entries
Championship: Program | Information

Favre earned 10 points for the Roadrunners, placing first in the pole vault, as she cleared 4.10 meters. This is Favre's second individual national championship of her collegiate career, winning her first this past indoor season.

Rookie Emily Shipley earned fourth place in the pole vault, earning five points for the Roadrunners. Shipley cleared 3.75 meters.

Fellow senior Anita Rogers claimed All-American honors when she placed third overall in the long jump. Rogers jumped 5.97 meters earning an additional six points for Ramapo.

Taylor Furman made her first trip to the national competition and came home with a third-place ribbon, collecting six Ramapo points in the discus throw. Furman hit 45.23 meters.

Rounding out Ramapo's performances was the women's 4x100-meter relay team. Rogers, Chelsea Clark, Jasmine Hammonds and Gina Marie Germinario, combined efforts in the event to qualify for Friday's final. The four clocked in at 47.56 seconds and will compete for the championship on Saturday.

The Roadrunners earned a combined 27 points on Day 1 and currently stand in first place.

The Cardinals' Josh Winder won the national title in the pole vault, claiming the program's fourth consecutive outdoor championship in the event and winning North Central's 116th individual national crown.

Winder led throughout the opening day's competition, passing on the first three heights before clearing his first attempt at 16-3/4 inch. He sailed over two more bars at 16'2-3/4 and 16'4 3/4 to stay ahead of the field. As the bar was raised to 16'6-3/4, only Winder and Zach Ferrara of Brockport State remained.

DIII MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day 1
Maloof: Comito recovers from faults to win title
Maloof: Dennis living up to unusual name
Preview
Moore: Franciscan distance runner Jones confident, looks to bounce back
Maloof: Wisconsin schools among team favorites; individual defenses on line
Accepted Qualifiers: Men's Entries
Championship: Program | Information

"A common theme at North Central is, 'Stay in the process,'" Winder said. "[Thursday] was a day I truly dove into the process. I really felt like I was in the zone. I tried not to let emotions take control. Whenever I needed a little more fuel, I might have dug into the emotions a little bit, but I never dwelt on them."

Winder and Ferrara both missed on all three attempts at 16'6-3/4, and Winder was declared the champion based on the fewest missed attempts. He added the championship to his 2012 indoor national title and claimed the eighth overall men's pole vault championship for the Cardinals.

"I felt really good at every bar," Winder said. "But sometimes vaulting just doesn't work out. If I had made that last bar, it could have been a big day, a season's best day."

Adding a second-place finish to North Central's haul for the day was John Crain, who made a strong bid to win the national title in the 10,000-meter run before winding up as a close runner-up.

Crain broke away with a pack of three other runners early on, who pressed the pace and broke away from the rest of the pack in the first few circuits of the 25-lap race. With just more than a mile to go, Crain inched forward and took the lead in an attempt to clear himself from the rest of the field.

"I was not expecting that at all," Crain said of the early breakaway. "I expected everyone to stayed packed together for the first mile or two. It was tough getting out that fast because I'm not really used to that, but you've got to roll with the punches and get in there and compete."

With a lap to go, Crain and Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Aaron Easker battled back and forth for the lead. Down the stretch, Crain attempted to move in front, but was denied as Easker opened a narrow gap and held it to the finish line. Easker hit the finish line in 29:48.25, with Crain following in a personal-best time of 29:49.45.

North Central had three other competitors in the 10,000 as Daniel Kerley placed 10th (30:40.20), Roger Klein finished 11th (30:43.87) and Travis Morrison came in 19th (32:31.54). The Cardinals' Frank Wleklinski placed 11th in the pole vault (15'1) and Zach Heerspink placed 16th in the long jump (22'6-1/2).

Finishing 16th in the preliminary heats of the 3,000 steeplechase was Jordan Kremer (9:20.66). The 4x400 relay team of Abraham Oshipitan, Dionte Hackler, Derek Nelson and Joey Michals came in 12th. Michals also competed individually in the 400 hurdles, clocking a time of 54.45 seconds in his heat to place 18th.