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December 14, 2009

2009 Season - Hottle takes home MVP honors

Augustana junior Hannah Hottle (Monmouth-Roseville HS, Monmouth, Ill.) was selected as the Most Valuable Performer for the 2009 women’s cross country season. She was the number one runner in four of the 11 meets during the recently concluded campaign.

Hottle won the dual meet against St. Ambrose on Tuesday, September 1 at Credit Island in Davenport, Iowa with a time of 15:54 in the 5,000 meter race. She was also the top finisher for Augustana at the Wartburg Invitational (21 st in 23:57), Tori Neubauer Invitational (65 th in 23:36) and the NCAA Midwest Regional (67 th in 23:36). She also finished 13 th at the Western Illinois Invitational in Macomb, Illinois on September 4 when she clocked a time of 24:22. She was 26 th at the Illinois Intercollegiate meet in Normal, Illinois on September 18 and placed 36 th at the Bissman-Lundeen Invitational in Davenport, Iowa on September 25.

Tara Bistry (Joliet Catholic HS, Shorewood, Ill.) and Theresa Coverick (Stagg HS, Palos Park, Ill.) shared the Most Valuable Freshman honor. Bistry was the Vikings top finisher in one meet and that was the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational on September 25 when she took 23 rd with a time of 21:04. Coverick had an interesting fall as she split time with both the Augustana soccer and cross country teams. She was the top finisher in the Illinois Intercollegiate meet early in the season when she placed 23 rd with a time of 19:24. At the end of the year she really came one, starting with the St. Ambrose Invitational on October 24 in Bettendorf, Iowa where she placed second with a time of 20:34. She followed that with a 15th place finish in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin meet on October 31 with a time of 24:45. She was also second in the Luther JV Cup on November 6.

The Most Improved Performer was shared by junior Brittany Prazak (Naperville Central HS, Naperville, Ill.) and senior Kristin Sattizahn (Erie HS, Erie, Ill.). Prazak, her freshman sister Jennifer Prazak (Naperville Central HS, Naperville, Ill.) and senior Kristy Damiano (Cary Grove HS, Cary, Ill.) split the Erica Vortman Viking Spirit Award.

Current seniors Ellen Adams (Glenbard West HS, Glen Ellyn, Ill.), Damiano and Samantha Laskowski (Reavis HS, Oak Lawn, Ill.) were honored for their contributions as team captains during the 2009 season. The captains-elect for 2010 are Hottle and Brittany Prazak.

Veteran head coach Fred Whiteside recently finished his 28 th season at the helm of the Vikings’ cross country program. Augustana won a dual meet with St. Ambrose by a score of 21-34 to start the season on September 1 at Credit Island in Davenport, Iowa. The Vikings also placed second at the St. Ambrose Invitational in Bettendorf, Iowa on October 24 and were third at the Western Illinois Invitational in Macomb, Illinois on September 4. They were sixth at the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational in Davenport, Iowa on September 25 and recorded a seventh place at the Wartburg Invitational in Waverly, Iowa on October 10. They were also seventh at the Illinois Intercollegiate meet in Normal, Illinois on September 18.

2009 AUGUSTANA WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY LETTERWINNERS

* Letters earned

(C) – Team captains

HEAD COACH: Fred Whiteside

ASSISTANT COACH: Julio Garcia