Blue Streaks Back Up Last Season's Performance With Fourth Place Finish At NCAA Championships

11/19/2022 7:12:00 PM | By: Noah Tylutki, Graduate Assistant

JCU finished in fourth at the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The John Carroll men's cross country team came into the 2022 NCAA Championships with nothing to lose.

The squad faced adversity not only with the snowy and icy course conditions at Michigan State's Forest Akers Golf Course, but had been battling injuries from key runners all season long. Despite an OAC and Great Lakes Regional Championship, they were ranked 13th in the latest USTFCCCA Division III National Coaches' Poll.

Fortunately for the Blue Streaks, they persevered through it all and still managed to finish in fourth place with 186 points, matching last year's placement at the national meet.

"I don't have the words to describe the day," John Carroll head coach Kyle Basista said. "Last year, we probably expected a top four finish. This year, it was not expected and I would've been ecstatic if we came in the top 10.  It took so much just to get to the line this year with all the injuries and setbacks, and it was more let's see what we can do. This was definitely more exciting of a finish than last year."

A large part of JCU's success were the performances of All-Americans Alex Phillip and Joseph Backus. Phillip won the race for the second consecutive year and was All-American for the third straight season. He finished with a mark of 24:37.6 and bested runner-up Christian Patzka of Wisconsin-Whitewater by 2.4 seconds. He also became the fifth runner in Division III history to win back-to-back national championships.

"He makes it look easy, but it's never easy," Basista said of Phillip. "This was Alex's most composed race, because he was smart.  When your team is in contention, you have to be less risky if you're the #1 guy. He didn't take any chances early on and bided his time. We as coaches probably understate what he's able to do, and he really showed how good he is in that race."

Backus, who fought through a femoral neck stress fracture, hip impingement, and torn labrum earlier in the calendar year, finished in 31st with a time of 25:30.9 to become the program's fifth ever All-American (Greg Louis, Cyril Pinchak, Phillip, Jamie Dailey).

"I thought All-American was possible and I think he thought it was possible," Blue Streak assistant coach Jordan Doore said of Backus. "It's pretty cool what can happen when you believe in an individual and then the individual believes in themselves.  Joe's performance shows what can happen when you put your mind to something. It's a true testament to all the work that he's put in through all the injuries he's battled."

Ryan Champa and Barrett Scheatzle, who also ran at the 2021 Championships, placed 49th and 67th, respectfully, with marks of 25:43.7 and 25:54.7.

Adam Shah closed out the scoring by finishing in 78th with a time of 25:58.7. Tommy Naiman (199th, 26:40.4) and Dominic Delmoro (207th, 26:44.0) also rounded out the JCU seven.

MIT (82) won the national championship for the first time ever while Wartburg (129) and SUNY Geneseo (168) placed second and third. JCU also bested two-time defending national champion and fifth place finisher Pomona-Pitzer by just seven points.

"It was truly a team effort," Basista said about the team's performance. "We could probably write a book about the setbacks we had and how resilient we were. They showed so much growth despite the injuries and change of leadership from last year.  We'll remember this season because I think the country counted us out. But the important thing is that the team never did, and that's a true testament of grit, determination, and resiliency. That's what the team was about this year."

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