SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The 12th annual Augustana Twilight concluded with a bang, as the men's and women's cross country programs opened their seasons in one of the largest cross country meets in the region. The Vikings women finished third, first among non-Division I opponents, while the men finished fourth, also first among non-Division I opponents. 

"Our teams, I felt, had a great opener. We had great packs," said head coach Tracy Hellman. "This is a great start and we can't wait to see what's next."

The Augustana women, ranked sixth in the nation, had three runners place in the top 12, with Aubrey Surage leading the group after crossing the finish line 17:40.36 to place fourth. Placing in 11th was Ana McCabe, finishing at 18:15.46, with Ella Bakken finishing behind her in 12th at 18:16.56.

Freshman Eleni Lovgren turned in a 41st place finish after clocking in at 18:53.76, and Taylor Melton finished with a time of 19:06.00, slotting at 49th. 

For the men, the seventh ranked team in the country, Ryan Hartman opened his junior campaign with authority, running the 4 mile race in 19:06.72 to slot in second place. Dawson Strom and Colten Brand each turned in top 10 finishes, closing the race in eighth (19:39.16) and ninth (19:40.52) respectively.

In 46th place was Alex Otten, finishing in 20:34.85, and in 48th was Evan Myran in 20:38.46. 

The men's race totaled four miles and 32 different teams while the women's race ran a 5K with 29 different teams.

Augustana returns to action next Friday, September 8, tackling the South Dakota State Classic in Brookings, S.D.

--GoAugie.com--