By Taylor Throckmorton '12

Full Results

GRANVILLE, Ohio - For the third consecutive season, an Allegheny College runner captured the North Coast Athletic Conference individual title, as junior Logan Steiner out-kicked Oberlin's Geno Arthur in the final meters to take the win. 

Steiner (pictured below with NCAC women's champion Emma Lehmann) solidified his place as the top distance runner in the conference, finishing the 8K race at Denison University in 26:31 for his third win in five races in the 2014 season.
 
"It was a great win for Logan.  Two weeks after losing to Geno at the Inter-Regional Rumble, he was a lot more comfortable racing against him today," said head coach Brent Wilkerson.  "Even though the times weren't fast due to the course conditions, it was still a very hard fought 8K, and he raced very smart.  We're looking forward to watching him go after the regional title in two weeks."
 
In the team standings, the Gators finished a surprise fifth with 120 points.  Seeded second in the pre-championship coaches pole, the team suffered a number of setbacks during and leading up to the race which resulted in an unfavorable finish.  
 
Sophomore Randy Violette, who had been the team's second runner for most of the year, fell in the first mile of the race and ended up 8th for the Gators.  Another of the top five twisted an ankle in the days leading up to the race which compromised his time.  

Freshman Luke Regan was the Gators' second runner, earning NCAC Honorable Mention honors with a 20th-place finish, timed in 27:20.  
 
"This team will never be complacent with a fifth place finish."  continued Wilkerson.  "It's our job as a team to figure out what happened, what we can do about it, and what the best way to move forward is."  

Wabash College won its second straight NCAC team title, totaling 28 points, followed by Ohio Wesleyan, Oberlin, DePauw, and the Gators.  

Having qualified for the national championship the last nine years running, Allegheny will be looking to improve on their performance in two weeks when they race at the Mideast Regional Championship hosted by Dickinson College.