(Sioux Falls Augustana's Rachel Stangler will wrap up an amazing career next week, hopefully with her first ever national championship. Stangler will wrap up her career asone of the most decorated long distance runners in in Augie history.

In her four years at Augie, Stangler has captured 10 individual titles and has played a key role in helping turn around the Viking program.

Head caoch Tracy Hellman says, "She's obviously our leader. She's been that way for a number of years."

Whatever event Stangler participates in, she's dominates. Stangler has qualified for the Division II national tournament in four events. The 1500 meter run, the three thousand meter run and the five thousand meter run. But her bread and butter is the steeplechase, one of the most grueling races in track.
"It does take a different kind of kid to run that steeple-chase because it's intimidating. You have those barriers to jump over each lap. The nature of it, 3,000 meters, so it's grueling itself and then you have the jumps on top of it," Hellman said.
Rachel Stangler says, "I think I like it because it's different just because the way you have something to focus on every so often. You know you have to worry about getting over a barrier."

At the NCC championships, Stangler won the steeplechase race, shattering the NCC record by more than 20 seconds. Her time of 10:34.85 was the second fastest clocking in Division II this year.
"Every time rachel has run the steeple chase, she has gotten faster. She's only ran it three times and the three times she's ran it, she's done very well," Hellman said.

Even if Stangler comes up short at the national meet, she'll easily finish her career at Augustan as one of the greatest distance runners in school history.
"She's in my opinion, one of the best we've ever had here," Hellman said.

Stangler has ran on the track where the national championships will be held next week. Both Stangler and Hellman feel having raced there earlier this year will benefit the senior come race day. The Division II track and field championships get underway May 22nd out in Walnut, California.