WARRENVILLE, Ill. – North Park Cross Country competed at the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships Saturday morning. The Vikings were led by a fifth-place finish from freshman Gunner Silva, who was the only non-North Central player to crack the top-7.

Silva yet again set a personal record, this time on the biggest stage of his young career. The freshman from Escondido, California ran the playoff 8000m race in a time of 24:49.6. He ran that exact time at the Bradley Pink Classic after improving on a 26:23.8 mark at the Brissman-Lundeen Invite in early October. For his efforts, Silva was named the CCIW's Newcomer of the Year award and represented North Park's with first-team all-conference honors.

Matthew Carey was the next-best finisher in the event, placing 69th with a time of 28:56.2 while Ryan Georgopoulos was 72nd at 29:17.4.

For the women, sophomore Marley Gandee led the Vikings with a time of 24:33.5 in the 6000m race, placing 49th off 77 runners and setting a personal record along the way. Freshman Anika Izenbart was the next-best finisher with a time of 26:08.0 to place 69th and Melanie Sorisho was 73rd with a 26:54.7.