(SR, Minnetonka, Minn./Holy Family Catholic HS) will compete in a national championship event for the second time this season, after qualifying for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in the 10,000-meter run, it was announced on Sunday. Rice qualified for the outdoor national meet with a school-record 35:46.43 time in the 10,000, set at the Drake Relays on April 24. The time is the eighth-fastest among the 22 runners that will be competing in the event at the national meet.
The NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field National Championships will be held this weekend at Ohio Wesleyan University's George Gauthier Track in Delaware, Ohio. The women's 10,000-meter run will be held on Thursday (5/22) at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time (6:30 p.m. Central time).
Rice has had a career-best season in her senior campaign for the Auggies. During the indoor season,
Rice earned All-America honors with an eighth-place finish in the 5,000-meter run at the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships. She won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference indoor title in the 5,000-meter run, while placing second in the 3,000-meter run. In the outdoor season,
Rice placed second in the 3,000-meter run at the MIAC Championships, while placing fifth in the 1,500-meter run.
Rice holds Augsburg's school records in the outdoor 5,000-meter run (17:21.98) and 10,000-meter run (35:46.43), along with the indoor 1-mile run (5:06.78), 3,000-meter run (9:59.28) and 5,000-meter run (17:07.98).
At last month's Auggie Awards, Rice earned Women's Senior Honor Athlete and Women's Athlete of the Year-Individual Sports honors. A communications studies major with a perfect 4.00 grade-point average,
Rice earned the NCAA Elite 89 and MIAC Elite 22 awards during the indoor track season.
Rice is the 64th Augsburg entry in women's track and field national championships competition in school history (59 NCAA Division III, 5 NAIA), and the second for interim head coach
Jarred Sampson at Augsburg.
