BURNSVILLE, Minn. – For the third consecutive season, the Augustana men's and women's cross country programs found themselves atop their respective NSIC preseason coaches polls. The women's program was a unanimous selection after receiving 14 first-place votes and accumulated 196 points while the men received 11 first-place votes totaling 143 points.
 
Women's Cross Country
The Augustana women's cross country team looks to build off a 2023 campaign that saw second place finishes in both the NSIC and NCAA Central Region, capping the season with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division II Championships. 

The Vikings return a pair of NSIC first-team runners in seniors Aubrey Surage and Ella Bakken, with both earning USTFCCCA All-Central Region Honors and Surage becoming an All-American for the first time. They also return NSIC Newcomer of the Year Ashley Overgaauw and twin sister Amanda Overgaauw, two more USTFCCCA All-Central Region honorees. 
 
"Our women's team has tremendous potential and it will be exciting to see what accomplishments this team can attain," said Hellman. "Having finished seventh in the NCAA in 2023 and returning a core unit from that team, our women have excitement and high goals entering the 2024 cross-country campaign."
 
Surage was tabbed as the NSIC Athlete to Watch for the Vikings following a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Central Region Championships and a 34th-place finish at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.
 
"Aubrey is coming off a tremendous junior campaign where she attained All-American honors in cross country," Coach Hellman said. "She has steadily improved each year and it is exciting to see her enter her senior campaign where she is training and racing at her best. When Aubrey is racing with confidence and is having fun doing it… great things follow!"

The Vikings had a stellar regular season, finishing first among DII competition in each of their four team-scored meets. That included a victory in the Roy Griak Invitational and a top-five finish at the SDSU Classic.

Men's Cross Country
The Vikings men's cross country team enters the season on the heels of its 13th NSIC title. The men's team welcomes back the NSIC individual champion in senior Ryan Hartman and an All-NSIC second-team member in sophomore Brady Hogan. Hartman paced three top-six finishers to help lead the Vikings to a victory in the NSIC race while head coach Tracy Hellman earned his 13th NSIC Male Coach of the Year honor.
 
Hartman earned NCAA All-America status for the third straight season after placing ninth at the NCAA Division II Championships. The Vikings finished first or second among DII competition in each of their four regular-season meets before claiming the NSIC title. The team finished their season in Joplin, Missouri, where they finished seventh in the NCAA Central Regionals. 
 
"Our team returns a solid core and some promising newcomers," Coach Hellman said. "We are focused on getting back to the NCAA Championships and we will be relentless in that pursuit. We should have good frontrunners, but our success is always dependent on our team depth and I am intrigued to see how that plays out."
 
Hartman, the Wausau, Wisconsin native, earned NSIC Preseason Athlete of the Year status after his 2023 All-American campaign. The first-team All-NSIC member earned his first NSIC Cross Country Championships victory before a second-place finish at the NCAA Division II Central Region Cross Country Championships and ninth place finish at the NCAA Division II Championships.

"Ryan enters his senior campaign following an outstanding junior season," said Hellman. "He now has the experience and talent to compete with anyone in the NCAA. The biggest strength that Ryan has is that he has a team-first approach and focuses on what he can contribute towards team accomplishments. I have no doubt that Ryan will finish his senior season with his best yet to come."
 
Augustana opens their regular season on September 6, when they host the Augustana Twilight at Yankton Trail Park. For more information on the Augustana Twilight, click here.