MEN'S TEAM RESULTS | MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS | WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Augustana men's cross country team posted its highest finish in school history with a sixth-place performance and the women finished seventh Saturday at the NCAA Championship held Saturday in Louisville, Ky.
The Vikings were forced to deal with tough, though familiar, weather conditions. Two inches of snow blanketed the Lousiville area on Friday night.
Between the men's and women's squads, Augustana had a total of four athletes earn All-America honors.
Matt Braithwaite and
Tom Karbo picked up the accolade for the men, while
Kristin Brondbo and
Runa Falch were the women's recipients.
The men were paced by Braithwaite, who logged a 20th-place performance after covering the 10K course in 31:18. Karbo was 27th with a time of 31:28.9. The men accumulated 232 points.
Paul Yak was 62nd (31:59.2),
Daniel Black was 82nd (32:25.6) and
Justin Grassmeyer was 137th (33:58.4).
Adams State (Colo.) took the men's team title with 57 points.
Kristin Brondbo was the top women's finisher, running her way to a 17th-place finish with a time of 21:48.6 on the 6K course. She beat Falch, who was 29th with a time of 22:02.09, for the first time this season. The Viking women totaled 185 points.
Kyle Blakeslee nearly garnered All-America status but was five places outside the top 40, finishing 45th with a time of 22:30.2. The women rounded out scoring with Leah Hanson in 71st (23:02.2) and
Miriam Hovda in 79th in 23:08.
Grand Valley State (Mich.) won the women's event with 66 points.
The seventh place finish for the Augustana women is their second highest in school history and best since 2008 when the Vikings finished fifth.
Said Augustna head coach
Tracy Hellman: “Both teams ran with confidence and poise and had a tremendous day. For the men to finish as the best team in school history is a credit to their hard work and focus all season. The women also had a great showing –this being our third top-10 finish in the past four years. With a majority of the men's team and all of the women's team returning next year, the future looks very bright.”
The men's team graduates three in Braithwait, Black and Grassmeyer. The women return their entire squad for next year.
