RIVER FOREST, Ill. – The fall is underway which means its time for the Concordia University Chicago (CUC) men's cross country team to kick off the 2025 season. Before competition begins tomorrow, catch up on last season what the squad has coming up this fall.

Last Season
To begin last season, CUC hosted their first home meet in almost two decades, with the NPU/CUC Early Invitational on August 30. William Leonard (Oskaloosa, Iowa), paced all Cougars in the opener.

Two weeks later, the Cougars traveled to Mequon, Wis. for the Ken Weid Classic, setting multiple personal records. A new face led the men's side, as Nathaniel Hernandez (Harwood Heights, Ill.) set a personal record in the 8k. Donovan Depakakibo (Norridge, Ill.), Nathaniel Boksa (Norridge, Ill.), and Miguel Sanchez (San Antonio, Texas) set PRs as well.

A week later, the teams traveled to Wheaton, Ill. for the Gil Dodds Invitational. The Cougars put in a strong performance, setting multiple personal records.

Next up was the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational in Rock Island, Ill. Leonard led the squad and Gael Arroyo (Cicero, Ill.) set a personal best.

In the final meet before the Northern Athletic Collegiate (NACC) Championships, the Cougars ran at the Bradley Pink Classic in Peoria, Ill. Hernandez led the Cougars with a personal record, having shaved off nearly two minutes of his previous best time.

At the NACC Championships, held in Geneva, Ill., The men placed ninth of 11 teams, with Hernandez leading, with Leonard finishing next, just three seconds behind Hernandez.

The season concluded at the NCAA DIII Midwest Regional Championship held in Rock Island, Ill. There were 31 teams competing, and the Cougars finished 30^th, as Hernandez, Boksa, Sanchez, and Depakakibo all set PRs.

Coach Dvorak
This season, the Cougars will be under the direction of newly appointed head coach, Chris Dvorak. He brings coaching expertise that spans multiple states and programs. Most recently, he served as the Head Boys and Girls Track Coach at Indian Creek High School in Shabbona, Ill. Dvorak had this to say about heading the program: "As a new collegiate head coach I am feeling really well supported. My fellow track coaches, the athletics department and the university have been supportive and helpful learning a new role. I am also incredibly blessed with my crew of runners, they are friendly, receptive, and supportive to one another. I couldn't have picked a better group."

Returning Athletes
Along with Boksa, Depakakibo, Hernandez, Leonard, Sanchez, and Arroyo, Jazael Rodriguez (Berwyn, Ill.) return to the squad.

New Faces
Kam Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) will make the jump to cross country this fall after previously only competing on the track & field team. In addition, Dominic Carlson (Loves Park, Ill.), Camari Edwards (Milwaukee, Wis.), Jonathan Knoebel (New Albany, Ind.), Andrew Paz Ponce De Leon (Harwood Heights, Ill.), Travis Rupe (Novi, Mich.), and Julien Saltos (Chicago, Ill.) round out the list of incoming first-years.

A Look Ahead
The season kicks off tomorrow, August 29^th, with the NPU/CUC Early Invitational, which the Cougars are co-hosting with North Park University. Two weeks later, the Cougars will head to the Spartan XC Classic. Then on September 20^th, CUC travels to Warrenville, Ill. for the Gil Dodds Invitational.

To kick off October, the Cougars will be in West Allis, Wis., on the 4^th, for the 25^th Annual Warrior Cross Country Invitational, hosted by fellow NACC school Wisconsin Lutheran College. The last meet in October will be on the 18^th. CUC will run at the 5^th Annual Interregional Invitational.

It all leads up to the NACC Cross Country Championships, which will be hosted on November 1^st in Green Bay, Wis. Then the NCAA DIII Midwest Regional Championships will be held on November 15^th in Waverly, Iowa.

"I am excited for the amount of buy in I have already experienced and the goals we have set," Dvorak said. "They are looking to achieve new heights as a team and individuals. This season is going to be about building from past successes and struggles. On the men's side we want to place our pack of runners where they can get those middle places and disrupt the groupings of other teams. For the women we want to keep pushing on the successes laid out by our upper classmen last year while building up our new talent to fill in the ranks."

CUC Men's Cross Country begins the 2025 campaign tomorrow, August 29th, at the NPU / CUC Early Invitational, which is being held at Schiller Woods in Chicago. The women's team race at 4 p.m., while the men begin at 4:45 p.m. Coverage for the meet as well as anything related to Concordia men's cross country can be found at cucougars.com.