Oklahoma City's Olowora sets new championship record in individual win

Published By Alan Grosbach, Manager of Communications and Sports Information on November 19th, 2016

ELSAH, Ill. – (Results) For the fourth time in the last five years, British Columbia brought home the team title at the 37th annual NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Championships Saturday at North Farm Cross Country Course in Elsah, Ill. The Thunderbirds, who also claimed the coveted red banner in 2012, 2013 and 2014, had their top four racers finish among the top 30 en route to 90 total points to best the 36-team field.

Natalia Hawthorn paced British Columbia and earned All-America honors for the fourth time with a sixth-place finish in a time of 17:23.75. The senior finished ninth last year, fourth in 2014 and 29th in 2013. The other Thunderbird runners to be named All-Americans were: Nicola Symonds (14th), Brianna Cairns (16th) and Madelyn Brunt (30th).

“We really liked the course,” said Chris Johnson, British Columbia Assistant Cross Country Coach. “It (the course) was challenging and I thought that it was a really good course for the athletes. We thought that if the women stepped up and came together as a team that they would have a shot at winning. To have four women in the top 30 and three in the top 20 was really something for us.”

Overall, British Columbia ran a combined 5-kilometer time of 1:28:38.36 – an average of 17:43.68 per runner. The Thunderbirds are now tied with former member Puget Sound (Wash.) for most team titles with four.