BOULDER, Colo. – Augustana College sent a trio of freshmen to compete in the 2015 USA Cross Country Championships this past Saturday in Boulder, Colo. The meet featured a variety of levels for racers to compete in, ranging from the high school to professional.

The junior division, open to competitors under the age of 20, served as the qualifying race for a pair of US national teams. The top six finishers earned a spot on the Team USA roster at the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang, China, while the next five spots qualified for the APA Pan American Cross Country Cup later this month in Barranquilla, Colombia. Entrants included athletes from both NCAA Divisions I and II, as well as high school.

 Using a conservative start and working her way through the field as the race progressed, freshman Annie Kruse placed 12th in the Junior Women's 6,000-meter race with a time of 23:24. With her finish, Kruse was named the first alternate for the APA Pan American Cross Country Cup, meaning she will be called upon if a Team USA member in front of her opts not to compete or suffers an injury prior to the competition.

"I thought [Annie] had a tremendous race to place in the top 12," head coach Tracy Hellman said. "With the level of athletes that Kruse ran with and beat, this certainly puts her in elite company."

In the Junior Men's race, Logan Burns and Sean Heaton competed in a tough field to place 33rd and 45th, respectively. 

"Both Burns and Heaton gained valuable experience for future races at Augustana," Hellman said. "Having an opportunity to compete at this level is an accomplishment that they should build off of."

All three freshmen will return to the track this upcoming Friday and Saturday, when the team travels to Brookings, S.D. for the SDSU Open.