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December 10, 2012

Jones is repeat MVP in women's cross country

Senior Jennifer Prazak won the Erica Vortman Viking Spirit Award for the fourth year in a row.

For the second consecutive season, Augustana senior distance standout Sarahbeth Jones (Warren Township HS, Wadsworth, Ill.) has been named as the Vikings' Most Valuable Runner. She has been the number one performer for veteran head coach Fred Whiteside's team in each of the past two seasons.

Jones has been the top Augustana finisher in every race in which she competed for the last two years. This season she started the year with a fifth place performance at the Illinois Intercollegiate Championships on September 14 and followed that with a runaway victory at the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational on September 21 on her home course at Saukie Golf Course. She placed third at the pre-National Meet in Terre Haute, Indiana on October 6 and was 12^th at the Wisconsin-Oshkosh Invitational on October 14.

She recorded her second straight top 10 finish in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin on October 27 when she placed fifth and finished the year with a 34^th place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional.

Senior Jennifer Prazak (Naperville North HS, Naperville, Ill.) won the Erica Vortman Viking Spirit Award for an unprecedented fourth year in a row. She competed in six races for the Vikings and had a best finish of 17^th at the College of DuPage Invitational on September 28.

Senior Kirstillyn Pohlman (Zion-Benton HS, Winthrop Harbor, Ill.) and junior Katie Pittman (Mahomet-Seymour HS, Seymour, Ill.) shared the Susan Wall Most Improved Runner honor. Pohlman was a top-five performer for Augustana most of the season and finished the year as the Vikings' second runner at the Midwest Regional. She placed 16^th in the CCIW meet on October 27. Pittman ran in six meets and was Augustana's top performer at the North Central Open when she took 14^th.

The Most Valuable Freshman honor was shared by Hana Lobsinger (Wheaton-Warrenville South HS, Wheaton, Ill.), Rachel Rodriguez (Mahomet-Seymour HS, Mahomet, Ill.) and Jeneen Schier (Oregon HS, Oregon, Ill.). Lobsinger ran in three meets and was 13^th at the College of DuPage Invitational on September 28. Rodriguez performed in seven meets and was 21^st at the DuPage Invitational and 30^th at the North Central Open. Schier also ran in seven meets and had a 16^th place performance at the DuPage Invitational and was 40^th at the North Central Open.

Also honored were the 2012 team captains: seniors Theresa Coverick (Stagg HS, Palos Park, Ill.), Annie Heifner (Oregon HS, Oregon, Wis.), Jones and Prazak. The 2013 captains will be Kristyn Barton (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) and Kristen Whiteside (Zion-Benton Township HS, Winthrop Harbor, Ill.).

Augustana placed second in the CCIW championship and finished the year with a ninth place performance in the Midwest Regional. The Vikings finished the year ranked ninth regionally by the US Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association.

2012 AUGUSTANA WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY LETTERWINNERS

* Letters earned

(C) - Team captains

HEAD COACH: Fred Whiteside

ASSISTANT COACH: Josh Sherrod