Butler's Victoria Mitchell Named Honda Sports Award Finalist

Dec. 1, 2005

Butler All-American Victoria Mitchell has been named as one of four finalists for the 2005-06 Cross Country Honda Sports Award, which is presented annually as part of The Collegiate Women Sports Awards program. The winner will be decided by nationwide voting among NCAA member schools and will become a nominee for The Honda-Broderick Cup, awarded annually to the nation's outstanding college woman athlete of the year.

The other three nominees for this year's Cross Country Honda Sports Award are Stephanie Madia of Notre Dame, Caroline Bierbaum of Columbia and Johanna Nilsson of Northern Arizona. Nilsson was the 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country national champ, while Bierbaum placed runner-up at the national championship.

Mitchell, who won an NCAA individual national championship in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in track last spring, became Butler's first female cross country All-American with a fourth place individual finish at this year's national meet. She was the individual champ at the Great Lakes Regional Meet, and she's a two-time individual champ in the Horizon League. She was named Horizon League Cross Country Athlete of the Year in 2004 and Horizon League Track and Field Athlete of the Year in both 2004 and 2005. The talented Butler runner also has earned Academic All-America recognition.

Voting for the 2005-06 Cross Country Honda Sports Award will be conducted during the week of Dec. 5 with the results announced on Friday, Dec. 9.