Daniel Kasperan and BJ Sorg both broke 24 minutes at the Augustana Interregional Invitational on Oct. 17, and the payoff landed four days later: North Central College men's cross country vaulted seven spots to No. 4 in the NCAA Division III national rankings.
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released the new poll Oct. 21.
The Cardinals entered the Augustana meet in Rock Island ranked 11th and posted the biggest jump inside the national top 10, according to NCC athletics.
Sophomore Kasperan crossed the finish line second overall in 23:51.3, breaking the 24-minute barrier for the first time in his career.
Sorg was right on his shoulder, finishing third in 23:52.0 and shaving seven seconds off his personal best.
Junior Richard Klein added a 16th-place finish in a career-best 24:38.6, moving up 22 spots between the first and second checkpoints of the race. Klein earned College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Runner of the Week honors for the performance, according to NCC athletics. He became the fourth Cardinal to earn the weekly award this season, joining Sorg, Ari Elmayan and Kasperan.
North Central totaled 107 team points, trailing only top-ranked Wartburg College, which won with 64 points, according to NCC's race recap. Five Cardinals posted personal-best or season-best times in the meet.
The ranking jump also boosted NCC regionally. The Cardinals moved from fourth to second in the USTFCCCA Midwest Regional poll, behind only Wartburg.
Sorg earned All-American honors last season after finishing 30th at the NCAA Division III Championships. Kasperan served as an alternate on last year's NCAA Championship squad and has improved his 8K time by more than a minute and a half from his 2025 season best of 25:34.0.
North Central heads to the CCIW Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31 at St. James Farm in Warrenville.
