TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Concluding the season, the George Fox Cross Country team ended the season with the women in 21st place, and the men in 18th at the NCAA National Championship, with two Bruins finishing as All-Americans

Top Performances
In the women's 6k, Breanna Schmitt ushered the way with a 29th place time of 21:45.2, earning an All-American honor with a top 40 finish. Three more runners from Fox completed the race within 22 minutes—Hope Bridge with a time of 22:29.5, Sarah Pullen at a time of 22:37.1, and Ellie Rising with 22:52.0. Close on their heels was Annalise Gonzales with a solid time of 23:19.6, Abbie Goodwin with 23:26.1, and Hannah Tranby finishing in 23:46.0.

As a team, the Bruin women scored 525 points, good for 21st position out of 32 teams. MIT won the team national championship for the women, with Wilmington's Faith Duncan taking the national title.

Austin Gappa placed 24th in the men's 8k, leading the team with a time of 24:33.0 and earning his first All-American honor. Only a minute later, a set of five Bruins came in within the 25 minute range—Alex Mills came in with a clean time of 25:17.3, Gavin Grass right behind with 25:23.4, Aidan Arthur at 25:36.8, Gabriel Lachenmeier with 25:47.5, and Andrew Ross with a time of 25:51.9. Less than a minute later, Kellen Ruiz finished off the race with 26:38.7, closing the event for the Bruins. 

The men's team finished in the 18th position with 493 points. Wisconsin-La Crosse won the team national championship, while Wisconsin-Whitewater's Christian Patzka.

Before the race, the Bruins' Jessie Bailey picked the prestigious Elite 90 Award, and award given to the runner with the highest GPA of all championship racers.

Coach's Thoughts
"Tough day on the men's side," Bruin head coach Mike Wilson said, "We're better than we showed today but that doesn't matter much. Solid season overall. Austin ran a brilliant, gutsy race and went for it. He definitely earned that All American honor today. Gavin Grass also stepped up big for us today and that was much needed."

"Bree has had a huge season and it's awesome to see her cap it off with an All American honor," Wilson said of the women, "Our women came in ranked 28th and finished 21st, so I consider that a great day. We can definitely continue to improve, but I think the women's group brought a lot of focus, energy and toughness today. Really great effort for our women's team and proud of the season they've had!"

Up Next
The Cross Country team will be back next fall for another successful season as they look for their fourth straight nationals appearance.