Akin Punches Ticket to 2025 NAIA Cross Country Championships

Kansas City, Missouri- Brenau cross country runner Averie Akin qualified for the 2025 NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championships in Tallahassee, Fla, the national office announced on Wednesday. 

This is the third consecutive trip to the national meet for Akin, who has qualified for the event each of her three years as a Golden Tiger. Akin qualified as only one of six AAC runners outside of the two qualifying teams, as a total of eighty-four runners qualified individually as at-large competitors from across the NAIA.

Head cross country coach Katie Dant praised the standout, noting that, "This is Averie's 3rd time qualifying for Nationals, but this may be the year that I am most proud of as this honor is hard-fought and well-deserved". 

The Bethlehem, GA native has proven to be a stalwart for the cross-country program and recently helped lead the squad to a fifth-place finish at the 2025 Appalachian Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships.

"Averie is one of the hardest working athletes I've ever coached," said Dant. "She is naturally talented, but her work ethic is unmatched. She started the season with a first-place finish at Bob Jones University, broke the school record in the 4K, placed among the top runners at every meet this year, and has been driven all season to get better each day".

For complete information about the 2025 NAIA Cross Country Championships, click here.