Augustana's men's and women's cross country teams competed in the NCAA Championship Saturday, Dec. 4, in Louisville, Kent. Only twenty-four men's and women's division II teams across the nation qualify each year for the Championship.

This was Augustana's fifth straight year qualifying for the women, and the second straight year for the men.

The men's team finished sixth overall with 232 points, which is Augustana's highest placing at the Championship in the history of the program.

"Looking at the results, the only teams that finished ahead of us are perennial power houses," senior Matt Braithewaite said.  "It is very encouraging to know that our team is reaching a level where we are competitive with those types of programs."

Braithewaite and junior Tom Karbo finished 20th and 27th, respectively, and earned All-American status (given to the top 40 runners). 

The women's team finished seventh overall with 188 points, its second highest ranking at the Championship (they placed fifth in 2008).

Freshmen Kristin Brondbo and Runa Falch were both named All-American, finishing 17th and 29th respectively.

"Everyone on the team was incredibly motivated going into the race," Braithwaite said. "We had our sights set high, so we were all thrilled that we could execute a solid race and secure such a high finish in the team standings."

That high finish, according to head coach Tracy Hellman, is another step toward building a national title contending program.

"This was an important step in building our program to the level that we want it to be at," Hellman said.  "I am very happy with the results. Not a lot of teams can do what our program did. It's been an awesome year."

Braithewaite agreed that Augustana is becoming a household name in division II cross country.

"We want people around the country to associate the Augustana name with a cross country program that performs at the highest level and competes with the best teams in the nation year in and year out," Braithewaite said.

Along with the team's strong finish, Braithwaite brought home an additional honor as a recipient of the NCAA Elite 88 award.

The Elite 88 award, named for the 88-combined NCAA men and women's sports, is awarded to the student participating in the national meet with the highest cumulative GPA.

"I felt incredibly honored to receive that award," Braithwaite said. "I have always felt that cross country and track have played an important part in making me the type of student that I am.

"It has taught me lessons about motivation, determination, and commitment that have definitely carried over into the classroom. So I think it is really cool that this award encompassed these two complementary areas of my college experience here at Augie," he said.

Adams State won the men's competition with 57 points, while Grand Valley State won the women's competition with 66 points.

For complete race results, visit GoAugie.com.