WEST SALEM, Wis. -- Madison Nelson punched her third ticket in three years to the NAIA National Cross Country Championship with her runner-up finish at Friday's North Star Athletic Association cross country meet. Hosted by Viterbo at Maple Grove Venues outside of LaCrosse, the meet was held in perfect running conditions with temperatures in the mid-40's and overcast skies.
The two-time defending champion Nelson found herself trailing Dakota State freshman Valerija Curikova early in the race and was never able to close the gap. Curikova ran to first, with Nelson crossing in the runner-up spot in 23:04.0. Head coach Craig Christians applauded Nelson's efforts, saying, "Madison continues to be the model of consistency, and a foot injury the last few weeks has interrupted her training. We knew Valerija was very good and took nothing away from her great run today. Madison's focus continues to be on the marathon (December 3 in Sacramento), so the big takeaway for me today is that she walked away feeling good."
The Bruin women finished in the sixth position as a team but just five points from the fourth spot. "I was proud of our patched-up team today," remarked Christians. "Ashley hadn't run a 6K yet this season, and it was just Alyssa's second effort at the distance, so for us to be real close to a couple of squads is commendable." The Dickinson State women beat runner-up Dakota State by eleven points to earn the right to represent the NSAA at the national meet.
Bruin runners today were Alicia Rivera Camargo, who was the second Bruin finisher, crossing the line in 19th place with a 26:05.0 clocking. At 25th was Olivia Russo in 26:56.9, Ashley Guatemala-Ortiz crossed in 28:03.5 for 32nd place, and Alyssa Brandes was 35th in 29:00.3.
Nelson will make a return trip to Fort Vancouver, Wash., for the NAIA National championship on Nov. 17. She was the first Bruin cross county All-American with her 31st place finish at the National Meet last fall.
