NOTE: This is the eighth release of the "Top 10 Moments of the Year" from the 2018-2019 athletic year at Ave Maria University. Each week for the next month, the Sports Information Department will release a few articles counting down to the top moment of the year. 

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Ave Maria University cross country season concluded on Friday, as three runners competed in the NAIA Cross Country National Championships. Freshman Mary Goetz and senior Michaela Elmer represented the women's program, while junior Gabriel Hogan made his third consecutive appearance for the men's team.

Goetz recorded the best finish by a Gyrene runner of either gender in program history, finishing 77th in a field of 340 runners. The freshman finished the course in a personal best time of 18:33.50, breaking her previous record from the conference championship by over 20 seconds. Goetz's time was the third fastest in program history, and was just the sixth sub-19 minute time in school history. 

In her final race as a Gyrene, Elmer finished the Seminole Valley course in 19:33.40, setting another personal best. Elmer ran the three fastest times of her Ave Maria career in her final three races, all of which rank among the top 20 times in school history.

The team national championship on the women's side was won by Oregon Tech, who claimed a six-point victory over Madonna. Anna Shields, a senior from Point Park University, won the individual title by crossing the finish line in 17 minutes, 15.9 seconds.

On the men's side, Hogan ran the fastest of his three NAIA National Championship races, running the course in 26:10.1. Hogan's time was the second best in school history, and was his fastest of the season. The junior came just 1.1 seconds away from breaking his own school record, which was set last season at the USCB Sand Shark Invitational.

Oklahoma City claimed the team national championship, cruising to a 27-point edge over second-place Indiana Wesleyan. The individual championship was also decided by a significant margin, as Cornerstone's Colin de Young won the title by nearly 15 seconds.

The national championships conclude a Gyrene cross country season that was considered one of the best in program history.