Dubuque, IA -- Friday, North Central University (NCU) Cross Country competed at the 2025 NCCAA Regionals hosted by the Emmaus Bible College. The Rams closed out the meet with multiple season and personal bests, highlighted by a pair of top-20 finishes from Garrett Converse and Leighton Helander and a career performance from sophomore Hope Naegelen in the women's race.

The men's squad had one of their strongest outings of the season, led by senior Garrett Converse, who posted a season-best time of 30:53.5, securing a 16th-place finish overall. Just behind him was sophomore Leighton Helander, finishing 19th at 30:59.6, marking another standout race for the Rams. Junior David Bjorge crossed next in 23rd with a season-best 32:12.9, while sophomore Colton Hagen followed close behind in 25th at 32:46.6. Rounding out the Rams lineup, senior Ryan Azeltine clocked a 34:26.2 to take 33rd place, helping NCU place multiple runners inside the top half of the field.

On the women's side, senior Avah Kraushaar continued to pace the Rams with another consistent effort, placing 17th overall with a time of 22:48.0. Junior Hope Naegelen followed with a strong showing of her own, finishing 30th in 25:57.0, setting a personal best in the process. Together, the duo closed out NCU's regular season on a high note as the team looks to build momentum heading into the conference championship. 

Men's Individual 8k Results:

*Garrett Converse - 30:53.5, 16th place
*Leighton Helander - 30:59.6, 19th place
*David Bjorge - 32:12.9, 23rd place
*Colton Hagen - 32:46.6 25th place
*Ryan Azeltine - 34:26.2, 33rd place

*Season-best | 192 total runners

Women's Individual 5k Results:

Avah Kraushaar - 22:48.0, 17th place
**Hope Naegelen - 25:57.0, 30th place

**Personal-best | 37 total runners

Looking Ahead:

Up next, the teams race at the UMAC Championships hosted by the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. The meet will take place on Saturday, November 1st, at the Winthrop Golf Club in Winthrop, MN. 

All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X) pages for updates on men's and women's cross country and all things NCU Athletics.