A few setbacks cut down the size of the men's cross country team in their opening meet on Aug. 31—the Earlybird Invite in Elmhurst—but the runners who did compete put on a good show.

David Alvarez (21st, 20:55) was the first runner from Region IV and the first non-North Central College runner to cross the line. Diego Arana (27th, 21:16) was the No. 3 region runner followed by John Donovan (66th, 23:14) and Isaiah Flores (99th, 27:03).

"We had to keep a few guys out due to a variety of reasons so we knew going into it that we wouldn't be scoring as a team. We still wanted to see where our guys stacked up compared to the other region runners, and I was pleased with the outcome," said head Coach Dimitri Dimizas. "We still have to work on our race preparation but that's what these early meets are for."