Bruin Cross Country opens with strong Augie Twilight outing

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- As in the previous two seasons, the Bruin cross country teams opened their 2025 campaign under the lights of Yankton Trail Park in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the Augie Twilight meet hosted by Augustana College. Both the men's and women's squads turned in impressive performances, offering a preview of what could be an exceptional season.

The women's race began at 8:30 p.m., with a field of 319 runners navigating multiple loops around the Yankton Trail soccer complex. Freshman Grace Steinmetz challenged the leaders from the gun, running with the front pack that included several Division I South Dakota State athletes. She held her pace at 5:40 per mile and crossed the line in an outstanding fifth place overall, setting a Bruin school record of 17:33.0 for the 5-kilometer distance. Her time eclipsed three-time All-American Madison Nelson's previous record by 23 seconds.

For the first time in three years, the Bruin women fielded a full squad, finishing 19th out of 26 teams. Junior Alicia Rivera Camargo was the team's No. 2 finisher, placing 130th in 20:02.0. Fellow junior Ashley Guatemala-Ortiz shattered her cross country personal best by more than two minutes, running 21:13.7 for 231st place. Freshman Wren Hofacket followed closely in 235th at 21:19.0. Junior transfers Cloey and Emily Usher rounded out the lineup, finishing 278th (22:56.8) and 308th (25:36.8), respectively.

Head Coach Craig Christians said:

"I loved what I saw from our women tonight—and it wasn't just 'Amazing Grace.' They competed as a team and ran for each other, which is something we've lacked recently due to low numbers. It adds another level of excitement, and I know veterans like Alicia and Ashley are thrilled to finally compete as a team again. We also have two more women eager to join us, which makes me very excited about our potential. Grace's run shouldn't have been a surprise given her training, but it still was. As a fearless freshman, she went straight to the front and battled the entire way. She was the top freshman and the second NAIA runner tonight. Amazing is the best word for it."

The Bruins return to action on September 20 at the Greeno Invitational, hosted by Nebraska Wesleyan and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln at Mahoney Golf Course in Lincoln.