SIOUX FALLS, S.D.—Senior Megan Billington captured the Augustana Twilight individual title to pace the South Dakota women's cross country to the team title for the third-straight year at Yankton Trail Park.
 
Billington completed the 5,000-meter course in 17 minutes, 12.50 seconds, setting a new course record for the distance. The senior improved upon her 2017 mark by 32 seconds and became the first Coyote to win the Augustana Twilight individually since 2014.
 
USD captured the women's team title for the third-straight year and fourth time overall. The Coyotes totaled 24 points while runner-up Nebraska tallied 45. Creighton and Omaha were also in the field.
 
Senior Madeline Huglen placed third overall with a time of 17:22.76, shaving 44 seconds off her time from last season. Sophomores Laura Nelson and Jonna Bart placed fifth and sixth, respectively. Nelson clocked 17:33.50 for a 36-second improvement from a year ago. Bart crossed the finish line in 17:55.88.
 
Sophomore Kelsi Kearney rounded out the Coyotes' top five with a 10th-place finish. Kearney clocked 18:08.70, dropping nearly 90 seconds off her freshman time.
 
The Coyotes placed their top seven finishers in the top-15 overall with junior Kianna Stewart taking 12th in 18:09.44 and freshman Haley Arens placing 15th in 18:27.74. All seven runners improved their finishing times from last season.
 
Senior Eldon Warner paced the Coyote men with a seventh-place finish. He clocked 21:50.92 for 7,000 meters. This marked the first season the Augustana Twilight increased the men's race distance from four miles to 7,000 meters.
 
USD's men's team finished fifth with 144 points while Nebraska took home the men's team title.
 
Freshman Merga Gemeda and redshirt-junior Hunter Paulsen crossed the finish line in 36th and 37th, respectively. Germeda clocked 22:39.72 and Paulsen finished just behind in 22:40.88.
 
Sophomore Kallo Arno and junior Abdinasir Abdi rounded out the men's scorers. Arno took 40th in 22:42.91 and Abdi clocked 23:07.53 for 57th. Seniors Nate Wendt and Jacob Simmons placed 60th and 63rd, respectively, as the Yotes sixth and seventh runners. Wendt clocked 23:11.59 and Simmons finished in 23:14.91.
 
The Coyote women's triathlon team also ran in the Augustana Twilight cross country race to open the season ahead of next weekend's triathlon dual with Black Hills State. Freshman Leah Drengenberg led the way in 60th place with a time of 19:40.63. Freshmen Sammy Whitting and Payton Ryz took 113th and 129th, respectively. Seniors Brook Benes and Kathleen Juffer were 171st and 267th, respectively.
 
The Coyote cross country team toes the line at Nebraska's Woody Greeno in two weeks in Lincoln. Women's triathlon makes their debut at Black Hills State on Sunday, Sept. 9.