BURNSVILLE, Minn. – Augustana women's cross country student-athlete Rachel Rairdon is the 2021 NSIC Elite 18 Award winner forholding the highest GPA at the NSIC Championship. Rairdon was presented the award during the championship ceremony at the NSIC Cross Country Championships held at the Wayne Country Club in Wayne, Nebraska.
 
She previously was awarded the NSIC Elite 18 honor at the 2021 NSIC Track & Field Championships as well, becoming the school's second repeat winner and one of seven Augustana student-athletes to receive the award. Leah Seivert is the other two-time winner from AU.
 
Rairdon is a senior majoring in accounting; business administration and finance and holds a 4.0 GPA. The Fort Collins, Colorado, native finished sixth while helping Augustana to a first-place finish at the Championship.
 
In 2019, she was a Second Team All-NSIC performer while earning USTFCCCA All-Region accolades. At the national meet, she placed 55^th overall and helped the Vikings to a sixth-place finish as a team. Her fastest 6K of the season came at the nation meet in a time of 21:22.5.
 
As part of the NSIC 25th Anniversary celebration, the NSIC Elite 18 Award was instituted to recognize the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the NSIC Championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The NSIC Elite 18 award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NSIC's 18 Championships.
 
Other Elite 18 Award winners from Augustana include Tiegen Lindner, Ben Kelvington, Leah Seivert, a two-time winner, Hannah Hankinson and Zach Tuschen.