Tansey Lystad Earns All-America Honors with Historic Finish at NCAA Championships

Complete Results  |  Post-Race Video Feature

TERRA HAUTE, Ind. – Portland senior Tansey Lystad finished in 15th place to earn All-America honors at the 2014 NCAA Women's Cross Country Championships on Saturday. It is the highest individual finish in Portland women's cross country history.

Michigan State ran away the women's title at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course with a team score of 85, while Iona junior Kate Avery separated from the field to win the individual title with a time of 19:31.6.

Lystad, the fifth Pilot women's harrier to qualify for the NCAA meet in program history, crossed the 6K finish line with a time of 20:19.4.  

A native of Kirkland, Wash., Lystad qualified for nationals by placing sixth individually at the NCAA West Regional the previous weekend, which tied Nicole Karr's top finish in school history.

Karr, a member of the Portland Athletic Hall of Fame, placed 24th individually to earn All-America honors at the 1994 meet. Nicole Ricci finished 56th in 2000, Ashlee Vincent placed 50th overall at the 2005 nationals, and Dana Morgan crossed in 46th place in 2007.

Lystad set the tone for a big day at the NCAA Cross Country Championships as the Pilot men's team posted a program-best third place team finish following the women's meet.