CHICAGO MARIST TRACK AND FIELD

NCAA ELIGIBILITY

http://web1.ncaa.org/ECWR2/NCAA_EMS/NCAA.jsp  (Link to NCAA Eligibility Center)

There are 302 division 1 and 223 division 2 colleges that offer college cross country and track scholarships for men. A total of 6,641.46 cross country and track scholarships in the NCAA alone. For women's cross-country and track the total number in the NCAA is 8,901.00 cross country and track scholarships!!!

             The NCAA allows each division 1 track and field / cross country program 12.69 scholarships for men and 18 for women. In division 2 the ratio is 12.6 scholarships for men and 12.6 for women.            

              Although, NCAA Division 3 does not provide scholarships, there are hundreds of quality Cross Country and Track Programs. The winner of the 2008 Olympic Trials in the 800m run, Nick Symmonds, ran for NCAA III Willamette University. In High School, Nick Symmonds was State Champion in Idaho, in the 3200m run, Mile, 800m, and 4x400m Relay.            

What Do I Need To Do?

• Grade 9
  • Verify with your high school guidance counselor and the online core-course listing to make sure you are on track.
• Grade 10
  • Verify with your high school guidance counselor and the online core-course listing to make sure you are on track.
• Grade 11
  • Register with the eligibility center.
  • Make sure you are still on course to meet core-course requirements (verify you have the correct number of core courses and that the core courses are on your high school's 48-H with the eligibility center).
  • After your junior year, have your high school guidance counselor send a copy of your transcript. If you have attended any other high schools, make sure a transcript is sent to the eligibility center from each high school.
  • When taking the ACT or SAT, request test scores to be sent to the eligibility center (the code is "9999").
  • Begin your amateurism questionnaire.
• Grade 12
  • When taking the ACT or SAT, request test scores to be sent to the eligibility center (the code is "9999").
  • Contact College coaches at the conclusion of your fall season (i.e. Cross Country), and provide them with your Track and/or Cross Country PRs, and ACT score. See Coach Gordon if you need assistance contacting college coaches and/or a letter of recommendation.
  • Complete amateurism questionnaire and sign the final authorization signature online on or after April 1 if you are expecting to enroll in college in the fall semester. (If you are expecting to enroll for spring semester, sign the final authorization signature on or after October 1 of the year prior to enrollment.)
  • Have your high school guidance counselor send a final transcript with proof of graduation to the eligibility center. 

 On Monday, January 5, 2009, Northside Head Track & Field Coach Jon Gordon announced that after months of conducting a nationwide search, including applicants as far away as Michigan, and several paid interviews with the final candidates, and a month of contract negotiations, Former NCAA Division I two-time National Qualifier, Cordell Lewis was officially named as High Jump coach of the Northside Track & Field Team for the 2009 season.  

In High School, Cordell Lewis jumped personal bests of 6'4" in the High Jump and 40'0" in the Triple Jump. In College, four years later, Cordell Lewis progressed to a collegiate personal best of 6'9.25" in the High Jump! and 51'3.75 in the Triple Jump! Cordell Lewis is ranked #3 on the all-time list for Triple Jump at Western Illinois University.

Michael Stevenson, Head Track & Field Coach of Western Illinois University, recently stated, "Cordell is one of my favorite athletes of all time. He was a hard working athlete, very motivated, and very knowledgeable. He was a team captain for 3 years and my right hand man when it came to jumps. If I wasn't standing right there at jumps practice, Cordell was always in charge...He would be a great technical coach..."   

Cordell Lewis qualified for NCAA Division I Nationals in 2003 and 2004. He was also 2004 Mid-Continent Conference Athlete of the Year.

Cordell Lewis is looking forward to training with the Mustangs, and the upcoming season.

 On Friday, December 12, 2008, Northside Head Track & Field Coach Jon Gordon announced that after months of conducting a nationwide search, and several paid interviews with the final candidates, and extensive contract negotiations, former University of Chicago legend Brian Hague was officially named as Assistant Distance coach of the Northside Track & Field Team for the 2009 season.  

Brian Hague attended Brother Rice High School in Chicago, Illinois, and qualified for the State Championships his Senior year with a 4:16 Mile.

Northside Head Track & Field Coach Jon Gordon first met Brian Hague at the State Championships his Senior year of high school, on a recruiting trip, while serving as the Middle Distance Coach for University of Chicago, under UC Head Coach Chris Hall.

Brian Hague is incredible athlete, and was a three-time NCAA National qualifier in Cross Country. Brian Hague has a 8K personal best time of 24:40. In 2006, Brian Hague earned All UAA Honors. In 2004, Brian Hague earned All UAA Honors, and helped the Maroons to the UAA Championship Title.

In 2005, Brian Hague ran a 5K personal best time of 14:51.61. It is the fourth fastest time in the history of the University of Chicago. 

As early as the age of 19, Brian Hague was ranked #1 in the country by USA Triathlon. He has won the Chicago Sprint Triathlon six times, and finished 9th overall in his pro debut in the San Francisco Triathlon. Brian Hague is currently training for the 2012 Olympic Trials, and also hopes to be in the Olympic Triathlon in the 2016 Olympics in Chicago.

Brian Hague can also do over 40 Pull-ups, and has a 3K PR of 8:45, and has a 400m PR of 52 seconds. 

Brian Hague earned all conference honors multiple times in the Steeplechase in the UAA Conference. In 2004, Brian Hague ran the 3000m Steeplechase in a personal best time of 9:39.04. It is the fifth fastest time in the history of the University of Chicago.

Brian Hague is looking forward to training with the Mustangs, and helping them to the State Championships in May 2009.

Former Northside Assistant Coach Chad Ware also plans to visit the Team on several Fridays during the 2009 Track & Field season, especially on core training days. 

Northside College Prep would like to thank all of the candidates for applying, and reminds them that Northside will keep them under consideration for when Northside expands its coaching staff in the Fall for Cross Country season.

On Tuesday, November 18, 2008, Northside Head Track & Field Coach Jon Gordon announced that after months of conducting a nationwide search, and several paid interviews with the final candidates, Former DePaul Sprinter Kevin Devitt was officially named as Associate Assistant coach of the Northside Track & Field Team for the 2009 season. Kevin Devitt is one of the most impressive individuals in the country.

Kevin Devitt is an incredible athlete, and is one of the best young coaches in Illinois. Devitt has coached five individual State Champions (USATF), and 14 National Qualifiers (USATF). 

During his Football career, Kevin Devitt helped Carmel High School WIN the Class 6A State Championship as a Defensive Back and a punt returner. Devitt had impressive stats, including 2 interceptions, 40 tackles, 300 all purpose yards, and six pass break-ups. 

In his high school Track career, Kevin Devitt earned four Varsity letters, was a State Qualifier on 4x400 Meter Relay (3:23), 3^rd place in the Illinois Prep Top Times 4x400 Meter Relay (3:27), and Devitt set school records in the 4x200 Meter Relay and 4x400 Meter Relay. He also earned All Conference honors in the 200, 400, 4x100, 4x200, and 4x400 during all four years of high school. He also led his high school Team, Carmel, to an IHSA Sectional Track Championship. 

Kevin Devitt ran for NCAA Division I, DePaul University Track and Field Team, and has PRs of 11.1 in the 100m Dash, 22.50 in the 200m Dash, and a PR of 50.50 in the 400m run. He has also been clocked at a split of 10.6 in the 4x100m Relay. 

Kevin Devitt is also the creator of the Chicago High School Classic All-Star Senior Basketball game, which is aired annually on Comcast TV. Northside athletes recognized him in the gym during a tour of the school, and ran up to him to shake his hand. 

Kevin Devitt is also the Head Track Coach of the USA Track & Field Lake County Lightning Track Club. Devitt has been featured in the Chicago Tribune by famous high school sports writer, Barry Tempkin, and has also had appearances on the Jay Hood Radio Show on ESPN AM 1000.  

Northside Associate Assistant Coach Kevin Devitt lives by the motto: “In order to go places you’ve never been you have to do things you’ve never done.” Within less than hour of his hiring, Northside Coach Kevin Devitt recruited several key additions to the Northside Track & Field Team. 

Kevin Devitt will be a major asset to the Northside Track & Field Team. The Mustangs will be seeking their first City Title, and will contend for the State Championship.

World Sports Chicago, an organization committed to bringing the Olympic Games to Chicago in 2016, selected Northside Senior Track Captain Adaora Achufusi to train with Olympians Jon Drummond and Hazel Clark on Sunday, November 16, 2008.

Northside Senior Adaora Achufusi holds the school record in the 400m Dash (64.29), Sprint Medley Relay, Weight Womens Relay, 4x100m Relay, 4x200m Relay, and the 4x400m Relay. Adaora Achufusi was also the second fastest runner on the Northside Cross country Team this fall with a personal best three mile time of 19:59. 

World Sports Chicago also selected Northside Senior Track Captain Simon Vecchioni to train with Olympic 800m runner Hazel Clark and Olympic Sprinter Jon Drummond on Sunday November 16, 2008. 

Northside Senior Simon Vecchioni holds the school record in the Distance Medley Relay, the record for consecutive Crunches with a 12 lbs Medicine ball (1100), the School record for Pull-ups (33), and has an 800m personal record of 2:10, and is also a second degree black belt in Karate.

Olympian Jon Drummond, a member of the 2000 Gold Medalist 4x100m Relay Team, traveled from Las Vegas, Neveda on Sunday, November 16, 2008 to train with Northside College Prep Senior Track Captains Adaora Achufusi and Simon Vecchioni. Drummond has a 200m Personal record of 20.03, and 100m Personal record of 9.92.

Jon Drummond attended high school at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drummond trained in school hallways during his high school career, because his high school didn’t have an indoor track. 

Drummond enjoys going to High School Track meets prior to the start of the meet, with a bowl of popcorn, to watch all the unusual Team warm-ups. He said they look neat, but that none of them actually help with running. Drummond told the Northside athletes that there are only three warm-up drills that actually help, “A” Skips, “B” Skips, and High knees, and stressed that he even recommended them for distance runners. 

Olympian Jon Drummond led Northside Senior Captains Adaora Achufusi and Simon Vecchioni in a warm-up, including “A” Skips, “B” Skips, and High-knees, and then focused on the core, and then extensive stretching.  

After a Relay race across the gym floor was anchored to victory by Northside Senior Simon Vecchioni, Olympian Jon Drummond turned Adaora Achufusi and Simon Vecchioni over to Olympian Hazel Clark. 

Hazel Clark had traveled from Knoxville, Tennessee on Sunday, November 16, 2008 to Chicago, Illinois to train with Simon Vecchioni and Adaora Achufusi. Hazel Clark has a 1500m Personal record of 4:16, and an 800m Personal record of 1:57. Hazel Clark is a three time Olympian (2000, 2004, and 2008), and made instant friends with Northside Head Coach Jon Gordon by complimenting him on his 1500m PR of 4:07 (1991).

Olympian Hazel Clark grew up in New Jersey, and is the daughter of famous New Jersey Principal Joe Clark. Her father was the subject of the movie, “Lean on me”. In “Lean on Me”, Morgan Freeman played Principal Joe Clark, in his most famous role, about the true story of a high school principal, who carried a baseball bat with him, and chained schools doors closed, as part of his tactics to help clean up a gang-ridden tough New Jersey High School, and make it into one of the best high schools in America.  

Hazel Clark won three NCAA indoor titles and one outdoor title at the University of Florida before graduating in 2000.  Hazael Clark won the U.S. Olympic Trials this year, and competed for the best Track Team in the World, the USA, in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.  

Olympians Hazel Clark and Jon Drummond spent six hours on Sunday, November 16, 2008 training with Northside Senior Captains Simon Vecchioni and Adaora Achufusi. Drummond and Clark shared the six core Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship, Celebration, Respect, Hope, and Harmony with Vecchioni and Achufusi.  

Jon Drummond values the core Olympic value of Celebration the most and told Vecchioni and Achufusi about his victory lap with his teammates after winning the 4x100 Gold Medal in 2000.

Hazel Clark values the core Olympic value of Friendship the most and told Vecchioni and Achufusi about her friendships with other members of the U.S. Olympic Team, including Chicago Olympian Connie Moore. 

Hazel Clark spent a lot of time with Simon Vecchioni and Adaora Achufusi on the track doing “boxed-in” drills to see how they would react to that situation in a race, and then showed them the best way to break free when they are “boxed-in”. The drill almost took a bad turn, when an 800m runner from Craven high school, did an illegal and unsportsmanlike move on Olympian Hazel Clark. Hazel Clark responded by letting him know it with a hard elbow, just like in an Olympic race. It was great. The Craven runner even asked Clark to autograph his jersey at the conclusion of the drill. 

Olympian Hazel Clark also shared her favorite workouts, and formed a friendship with Simon Vecchioni and Adaora Achufusi. Hazel Clark gave them a personalized autograph photo, including a message to Simon Vecchioni to focus on the third 200m of his 800m race, and she exchanged email addresses, and phone numbers with both Simon Vecchioni and Adaora Achufusi. It was a priceless experience. 

A special thanks to World Sports Chicago, an organization committed to bringing the Olympic Games to Chicago in 2016, for selecting Simon Vecchioni and Adaora Achufusi for this opportunity, and making this experience possible.