Ellingson places 34th; Edwardson has strong showing at nationals

WAVERLY - Catie Ellingson ran to a 34th-place finish at the NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships on Saturday, earning All-American recognition in the process.

The senior from Indianola completed the 6km course in 21:46.0, becoming Simpson's first All-American performer since 1991.

Ellingson competed in the championship for the second year in a row, improving 12 spots after a 46th place showing in 2009. The sports administration major automatically qualified for the meet after placing second at the NCAA Central Region Championships last week. She also placed second at the Iowa Conference meet on Oct. 30.

On the men's side, Ryan Edwardson placed 222 of the 279 entrants. The junior from Spencer ran a 26:19.7 after earning an at-large bid into the field with a 10th-place showing at Regionals. Edwardson placed fifth at the Iowa Conference Championships.

Saturday marked the first time male and female runners from Simpson competed at the national championships in the same year since 1989.