BRICE RUNS to ALL-AMERICAN HONORS at NATIONAL MEET
Babson Park, FL – This past Saturday redshirt junior Juline Brice etched her name in the Webber history books yet again this season as she became the school’s first female cross country All-American. Brice placed 17th out of more than 325 runners at the NAIA National Championship meet which was held at the Ft. Vancouver National Historical site in Vancouver, WA.
In typical Northwest fashion rain and cool weather was the story of the weekend and weeks leading up to the championship event; to the point where the course was closed Friday to athletes and coaches for inspection. Race day was no different as temperatures hovered in the low to mid-40’s with light precipitation falling up till race time. As the gun went off just before noon (PST) the sun gently popped out from behind the clouds as if to look at the race below.
From the gun Brice was on, getting out with the leaders and running with the lead group through the first of three loops. During the subsequent loops, Brice maintained a strong and steady march towards the uphill finish which was lined by throngs of fans and coaches alike. The two time conference cross country champion covered the 5k course in 18:36 which was good enough for 17th place; individuals placing in the top 30 are considered All-American.
“She ran a flawless race,” said head coach Terrell Griffin afterwards. “She knew that she was going to have to get out a little faster than anticipated to make up for the lack of passing opportunities because of the course conditions.” He added, “words can’t describe how proud I am of her, she had two goals coming into the season; to win the conference championship and become an All-American. At the end of the day it’s great to see an athlete accomplish such a feat!”
Complete national results can be found here: