Nelson earns third All-American honor at NAIA Cross Country Championships
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Senior Madison Nelson wrapped up her outstanding Bellevue University cross country career today with her third All-American honor at the 2024 NAIA National Championships held over the slightly rolling hills of the Gans Creek Course in Columbia, Mo. Nelson ran to a 30th-place finish in the field of 326 runners on a cool day with temperatures in the 40s and a light breeze. The All-American honor is awarded to the top forty finishers in the race.
Nelson positioned herself just outside of the top fifty at the one-kilometer mark of the race and proceeded to pass 20 runners by the halfway mark at three kilometers. She held her position over the second loop of the course to come home in 21:40.8, a lifetime best of 26 seconds for six kilometers (3.7 miles).
Today's race marked the end of a remarkable cross country career as Nelson finished with three NSAA titles, a conference runner-up, and four trips to the National Championship. After placing 134th as a freshman, she went on to run 31st, 27th, and 30th over the past three seasons to earn All-American accolades.
Head Coach Craig Christians: "Madison knew that in a super talented field, like we had today over a very fast course, she'd have to take a risk and get out hard. She executed her plan to perfection. But that's just what she has done over her career. It's been a remarkable four years, and we've been blessed to have her representing the Bruins."
Nelson's fall running campaign is not quite over, as she will travel to Sacramento, Calif., in two weeks to run in the second annual NAIA Marathon Classic. She was third overall last December, running 3:00:15 for the 26.2-mile event, and comes into this year's Classic with the second-best qualifying run average pace. The Classic is an emerging sport in the NAIA and not an official national championship.