Two Brenau athletes qualified for the final field at the 45th annual National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Women’s Cross Country National Championship.
Senior Kamille Dixon and sophomore Averie Akin will represent the AAC. Only three athletes qualified as individuals, with Rylee Fisher of Reinhardt being the third.
“This has certainly been a record-breaking year for the Golden Tigers Cross Country team,” said first-year head coach Katie Dant. “Both Averie and Kamille have dedicated themselves to improving their own performances and to building a team culture that inspires others to do the same.”
In her first season at Brenau, Dixon made her mark by setting school records in the 4K, 5K, and 6K, with each of her record-breaking performances setting new personal records for her as well. Dixon was named team captain earlier this season.
Akin returns to the NAIA Cross Country Championships after qualifying as a freshman last season. The Bethlehem, Georgia, native also surpassed former Brenau cross country records in the 4K, 5K, and 6K races.
Mike Lochstamphor, Vice President of the Ernest Ledford Grindle Athletic Department, said Dant doubled the amount of cross country runners since becoming the head coach, and the team has flourished under her leadership.
“In my 22 years here, we’ve had single qualifiers but never two or more,” Lochstamphor said. “Within our conference, we’re competing against some of the best in the country. Sending two of our runners sets the bar a little bit higher. We’d like to see the whole team qualified to compete.”
The Brenau cross country team finished fifth in the Appalachian Athletic Conference this season, which marked the squad’s highest finish since the 2016 season. Both Dixon and Akin placed in the top-20 runners at the conference championships.
35 teams and 82 individuals qualified for the championship. The Appalachian Athletic Conference is sending three teams: Milligan, Montreat and SCAD Atlanta. The field will prepare to race on Friday, Nov. 22, at the Columbia, Missouri, Gans Creek Cross Country Course. The National Championship will be streamed live on the NAIA Channel on the Urban Edge Network for free and can also be found here.
