TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Iowa State women's cross country team notched their fourth-consecutive top-15 finish at the NCAA Championships this afternoon. The Cyclones placed 13th overall behind All-America performances from sophomore Crystal Nelson and freshman Bethanie Brown.
Both Nelson (32nd) and Brown (37th) finished among the top-40 individuals, en route to earning All-America recognition. Nelson finished the 6-kilometer race in 20 minutes and 42 seconds with Brown crossing the line in 20:43. The Cyclones fought difficult running conditions, with freezing temperatures and a soft, muddy course.
Nelson found herself among the top-10 early on in the race but fell with 1,500 meters remaining. Iowa State women's cross country head coach Andrea Grove-McDonough was very pleased with the Winchester, Va., native's drive to finish the race in the top-40.
"Crystal had a tough break but that can happen in conditions like what we saw today," Grove-McDonough said. "It's part of the sport. It's hard to get up and recover from that. I was very proud of how she was able to rally and take home her All-America award."
Brown became the sixth Cyclone freshman to earn NCAA All-America accolades after her performance on the course. Brown had a phenomenal freshman campaign, finishing as one of Iowa State's top-four scoring runners in each race this season.
"Bethanie was absolutely brilliant today. She ran terrific. In cross country, being an All-American as a freshman is an incredible accomplishment, so I'm very happy for her."
Katy Moen (21:08), Samantha Bluske (21:34) and Perez Rotich (21:45) rounded out the Cyclone scoring effort, placing 77th, 139th and 158th respectively.
This marks the 13th time in Cyclone history, where the women have had two runners earn All-America accolades and the seventh time Iowa State has finished in the top-15 as a team.
Grove-McDonough is very excited for what the future holds for the program
"I think we're better than we showed today, but I'm very proud of what our girls have accomplished this season," Grove-McDonough said. "The good news is we bring back pretty much the whole team next year. We will be back."
Providence took home the team title this afternoon, while Dartmouth's Abbey D'Agostino captured the individual crown, finishing the race in 20:00.
Iowa State senior men's cross country runner Mohamed Hrezi finished 24th overall to earn All-America status, the highest Cyclone men's individual since 1995 (Dimitry Drozdov, 21st). To read the full release on Hrezi's performance, click here.
Team Results
1. Providence, 141 2. Arizona, 197 3. Butler, 200 4. Michigan, 215 5. Georgetown, 226 6. Michigan State, 236 7. Colorado, 265 8. Florida State, 278 9. Virginia, 283 10. New Mexico, 301 11. Stanford, 322 12. William & Mary, 326 13. IOWA STATE, 333 14. Oregon, 340 14. Arkansas, 340
Individual Results
1. Abbey D'Agostino, Dartmouth 20:00.3 32. Crystal Nelson, Iowa State 20:42.1 37. Bethanie Brown, Iowa State 20:43.6 77. Katy Moen, Iowa State 21:08.4 139. Samantha Bluske, Iowa State 21:34.9 158. Perez Rotich, Iowa State 21:41.5 200. Eji Okoro, Iowa State 22:03.9 201. Andrea Toppin, Iowa State 22:04.4
