National Tournament looms for Cross Country teams

Both cross country teams will be seeking national titles at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships at Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky., this weekend.

The men and women's teams are ranked No. 11 and  No. 6 respectively after the regional meet in Wayne, Neb. Now they have set their sights even higher as they prepare to square off against 23 other teams from around the country on Dec. 4.

"We're pretty hopeful," senior Matt Braithwaite said.  "I think we're really comparable to some of the top-ranked teams.  If we go and run a really good race, I think we could surprise some people and have the highest showing Augie's ever had."

Along with Braithwaite, Augustana is bringing six other men to the race, including freshman Paul Yak, sophomore Ryan Evans, juniors Travis Beniak, Tom Karbo, Justin Grassmeyer and senior Dan Black.

The men's team, who placed 10th at Nationals last year, wants to improve their standing in Louisville.

"We have the potential to be in the top eight at least," Grassmeyer said.  "I'm excited for it.  I think it's going to be pretty ideal weather out there and the course is pretty flat.  We're in the best shape of the season, so we're just looking to run the best we can."

The women's team's seven runners: freshmen Kristin Brondbo and Runa Falch, sophomores Annie Pfeifle, Kyle Blakeslee and Leah Hansen and juniors Miriam Hovda and Kelly Kougl expect a strong race and are riding the momentum of a third place showing at NCAA Regionals.

"We're looking strong and we're running really well right now," sophomore Molly Kokesh said, an alternate for the team. "We have our goals set high, but I think they're attainable."

Both teams have put themselves through a rigorous program to prepare for the event, some running more than 60 miles per week.

"The program has gotten so much stronger and we're recruiting quality kids," Braithwaite said.  "We've built a tradition and I think we're going to have strong teams year in and year out."

"The program has been established really well," Kokesh said. "The runners are good and we've got great coaching.  Tracy [Hellman] is an awesome coach.  He helps each runner get to be the best that they can possibly be."

Even with solid runners and exceptional preparation, the teams will be competing against colleges and universities they've never raced against, not to mention cross country powerhouses like Adams State College, who has taken home first place titles nearly every year for the past decade.

"The big challenge is going to be racing some teams we've never had the chance to race against," Grassmeyer said. "We don't know how we stack up to their guys, but we're feeling good.  Everybody's feeling confident."

"We've got to be motivated and we've got to stay hungry," Kokesh said. "We've got a strategy.  Mentally we have to be tough and just run the way we have been running all season."