SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Augustana cross country opens the 2024 season hosting the 13th Annual Augustana Twilight under the lights at Yankton Trails Park on Friday, the women's 5k is slated for an 8:30 p.m. start while the men's four mile race is at 9 p.m. 

After finishing last season with a seventh place result at the DII National Championships, the Augustana women's cross country team will start the 2024 season among the nation's best. On Wednesday, the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) ranked the Augustana women fourth in the nation and first in the Central region.

The Twilight is expected to attract 76 high schools and 30 collegiate programs. The 30 colleges and universities for the collegiate races are headlined by a pair of Division I schools and eight NSIC schools. 

Amongst the Division I programs, the Vikings will compete against the Big Ten's Nebraska Cornhuskers and regional foe South Dakota State while Augustana is joined by Concordia-St. Paul, Minnesota State, Minnesota-Crookston, Sioux Falls, SMSU and Wayne State. 

Both Augustana teams were tabbed to finish at the top of the NSIC in the preseason coaches' poll. Along with high recognition at the team level, the Vikings also claimed the men's cross country NSIC Preseason Athlete of the Year, Ryan Hartman.

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. 

On the men's side, Augustana looks for their 14th 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.