VANCOUVER, Wash. – Westminster senior harrier Amanda Theobald concluded her career by placing 160th at the 2009 NAIA National Championships on Saturday afternoon. Theobald completed the 5K course with a time of 20:20 to rank in the top half of the 330 woman field. This was the second consecutive trip to the National Championships for Theobald, and she is the only Griffin in school history to qualify for the event.

California State-San Marcos won its first ever NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championship in the team event. CSU-San Marcos won by a narrow margin of three points over second-place Biola (Calif.) (137 points to 140 points). The Cougars took third-place in the 2008 event. The Cascade Collegiate Conference and Concordia (Ore.) University hosted the event for the first time.

The Cougars posted three runners in the top 30 including seventh-place finisher Dallon Williams (18:20). The team title is the first national championship in the 10-year history of the school. In the 30-year history of the event, Cal State-San Marcos becomes the 16th team to win the title and the 12th program to capture the championship for the first time.

Following Biola in third-place is Malone (Ohio) with 163 points and Simon Fraser (B.C.) with 195 points. Defending national champion Azusa Pacific (Calif.) took home fifth-place honors with 199 points.

Justyna Mudy of Shorter (Ga.) was the individual medalist with a finish of 17:30. The junior took third in last year's event and defeated the next runner, Jacky Kipwambok of Azusa Pacific (Calif.), by 21 seconds. Mudy becomes the first Shorter athlete to win the women's individual title in the school's history.

“I am just so happy,” said Mudy, who won the 3,000-meter Steeplechase during the 2008 Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. “Last year was my first time being here and I took third. The weather here today was exactly how I wanted it to be and the course was great. I didn't really know how far ahead of the pack I was because I just wanted to keep looking forward and run fast. I am so proud of my teammates who were with me today.”

The 2009 NAIA Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year honors went to Steve Scott of Cal State-San Marcos. This is the first such award for coach Scott.

Malone (Ohio), Simon Fraser (B.C.), California State-San Marcos and College of Idaho earned the team awards after compiling the lowest combined (men and women) scores at the national championships.