COMPLETE RESULTS

GULF SHORES, Ala. – Junior Anika Rasubala ran away from her competition over the final 800 meters, claiming an NAIA National Championship victory in the 3000m Steeplechase on Saturday at the NAIA National Championships at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium.
 
Rasubala said, "It feels incredible. I still pinch myself because I can't really believe it happened. It is surreal to me when I look back on the race and the entire season leading up to that point. It was a lot of hard work and for it to come together was such a blessing.
 
"First and foremost I thank Jesus for giving me the ability to run and the love for running. My family is amazing and coming out here to be with me was incredible. My teammates were so supportive, sweating and doing the workouts right alongside me and I love them so much."
 
Rasubala finished the race in 10 minutes, 44.89 seconds, breaking the NCU record despite running in 90 degree heat and heavy humidity.  The previous record was held by current assistant coach and former All-American Michelle Tyler for the past three years.
 
This is the second individual national championship for the Beacons and it comes just one year after the first NAIA crown was won by Bailey Dell in the Javelin.
 
"I truly felt that God was running right beside me throughout the race," she said. "He gave me a lot of peace this morning and I had some confidence going in, but as a competitor you always question things and I just felt his presence on every lap. I just knew to be patient and wait for the right moment to make my move and it worked out."
 
Beginning the race boxed in by three other runners, Rasubala was able to bide her time, sticking in the lead pack of four over the first 1800 meters before moving in front and leading the race for the final five laps. With the last two laps remaining, Rasubala gave herself some separation from UBC's Madeleine Brunt, the Cascade Conference Runner-Up, and she never looked back.
 
This is the second straight All-American finish in the event after she finished eighth in 2018. She said, "It was so exciting that my parents and my teammates got to be there with me. It was a completely different experience than last year , getting to celebrate afterward with more of my teammates and with my parents there."
 
The dominance of the Cascade Conference lived up to the hype as the CCC swept the top three spots with Brunt taking second and College of Idaho's Larissa Mauer claiming third-place. As they were throughout the entire season, Rasubala and Brunt were the only two runners to finish under 11 minutes on Saturday.
 
With the ten points scored with the victory, NCU finished the championships in 29th place, fourth among schools from the CCC. UBC won the national championship, Oregon Tech finished tenth and the College of Idaho was 28th, scoring one more point than the Beacons.
 
Meanwhile, on the men's side, senior Dan Carrier closed out his NCU career on a high note Saturday, taking tenth place in the NAIA 3000m Steeplechase championship. The Cascade Collegiate Conference runner-up was languishing in the back of the pack in humid gulf temperatures reaching the low 90's at race time, but passed six runners over the final five laps to come in tenth. Carrier ran a 9:43.58 and missed out on All-American honors by just six seconds.
 
Also running the event was senior Conner Covey who pushed through to finish the race in 15th. NCU's other scheduled competitor on Saturday was senior Michael Andrews in the Pole Vault. Unfortunately, a knee injury suffered during mid-week training made him unable to complete.