MADISON, Wisc. – Seniors Lauren LaRocco and Taryn Rawlings earned All-America honors in leading the Portland Pilots to a program-best 12th-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships Saturday at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course. Portland entered the race ranked No. 23 nationally.

"The team was amazing today! I'm so proud of the way they competed," said head coach Ian Solof. "To come in ranked 23rd and finish 12th is unbelievable, not to mention having two All-Americans. They have exceeded my expectations all season and certainly did today. It was a huge day for our program."

LaRocco set a new program record by finishing 13th individually, eclipsing Tansey Lystad's run to 15th place at the 2014 national meet. She finished the snow-covered 6K course with a time of 20:05.1 to become the first women's runner in program history to earn two cross country All-America awards. She placed 29th at the 2016 meet.

Rawlings, who finished 51st as an individual last year, dropped the hammer and passed 24 runners in the final 2K to place 26th overall and earn her first cross country All-America award.

Junior Aoibhe Richardson also had a strong kick to pass numerous runners down the stretch and finish 57th. Seniors Becca Howard (110th) and Virag Weiler (207th) also scored for Portland.

Colorado came away with the team title with a score of 65, while New Mexico (103), Oregon (160) and Michigan (213) earned podium finishes. Colorado's Dani Jones was the individual winner with a time of 19:42.8.

Portland earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships for the second time in program history after placing fifth at the NCAA West Regional. The Pilots placed 22nd as a team at the 2016 national meet.

NCAA Cross Country Championships
Madison, Wisc. (Thomas Zimmer Championship Course)
November 17, 2018

Top Team Finishes
1. Colorado, 65
2. New Mexico, 103
3. Oregon, 160
4. Michigan, 213
5. Stanford, 232
6. Boise State, 288
7. BYU, 310
8. Notre Dame, 313
9. Washington 321
10. Wisconsin, 325
11. Michigan State, 341
12. Portland, 344
13. NC State, 367
14. Arkansas, 398
15. Iowa State, 403

Portland Individuals
13. Lauren LaRocco, 20:05.1 (All-America)
26. Taryn Rawlings, 20:27.4 (All-America)
57. Aoibhe Richardson, 20:45.0
110. Becca Howard, 21:08.6
207. Virag Weiler, 22:01.0
210. Jasmine Fehr, 22:02.5
235. Courtney Cox, 22:28.9

Portland Women's Cross Country NCAA History (2)
Year       Team Finish 
2016      22nd
2018     12th

Portland Women's Cross Country All-Americans (5) 
Nicole Karr, 1994
Tansey Lystad, 2014
Lauren LaRocco, 2016
Taryn Rawlings, 2018
Lauren LaRocco, 2018

Top Portland NCAA Performances 
13. Lauren LaRocco, 2018
15. Tansey Lystad, 2014
24. Nicole Karr, 1994
26. Taryn Rawlings, 2018
29. Lauren LaRocco, 2016
46. Dana Morgan, 2007
50. Ashlee Vincent, 2005
51. Taryn Rawlings, 2017