Men's Cross Country Conquers Great Lakes Regional Championships

11/11/2023 8:37:00 PM | By: Erica Esper, Senior Staff Writer

The Blue Streaks thrived as the hosts on Saturday.

NORTON, Ohio -- John Carroll Men's Cross Country made history today. The men continued their regional title run from 2021 for a 3-peat, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA National Cross-Country Championships.

Full Individual and Team Results

"It feels great to bring back another Regional Championship to University Heights," senior Ethan Domitrovich exclaimed. "I can't put into words how proud I am of these boys. Winning three in a row on our home turf and with our home crowd was an experience I'll never forget."

The Blue Streaks scored a total of 69 points in the victory, defeating second place Calvin by 13 points (82 total points). Additionally, 6 of 7 total Blue Streaks earned All-Region honors.

Regionals Photos

Domitrovich led the charge for the Men of Carroll once again, crossing the line in 23:57.4 to earn a third place overall finish and All-Region honors. Coming off of an injured 2022 season and a 25th place regional finish in 2021, Domitrovich's cross-country campaign has been truly remarkable.

"We did a great job of positioning ourselves toward the front early, working together and staying relaxed through the middle, and winning our battles late with some great finishes," Domitrovich said of the race.

Coming in next for the Blue Streaks was none other than junior Dominic Delmoro (24:03.3), who edged out rival Mount Union runner Jeff Joseph to earn a sixth place finish and All-Region honors.

Merely 10.7 seconds after Delmoro, fellow junior Ryan Champa placed 10th overall in a time of 24:14.0 to receive All-Region award status. Champa's finish marked John Carroll as the only team to place more than one runner (3) in the top-10.

After Champa, sophomores Isaac Bourne and Ian Paul stepped up big-time for the Blue Streaks. Bourne raced to a 23rd place finish (24:32.3), while Paul sealed-the-deal placing 27th (24:38.2). Both earned their first All-Region Awards in the process.

"It feels pretty awesome," Paul said of the victory. "I love these boys, I'd do anything for them. To be able to run and win with my teammates is what it is all about."

Senior Matt Costanzo and junior Tommy Naiman rounded out the Blue Steak runners, placing 35th (24:44.6) and 54th (25:00.0) respectively.

The Blue Streaks now look to continue their success on the ultimate stage, the NCAA National Championships, just one week away. Dickson will host the "Big Dance" on November 18 at Big Spring High School in Carlisle, PA.

"Looking forward to the national championship, we need to continue what we've been doing with working together and take it easy the next couple of days," Delmoro emphasized. "The hard work has been put in. We just need to capitalize on everything we've put in and show them what John Carroll is made of."

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