DES MOINES, Iowa — Junior Brogan Austin continued a stellar Drake career by claiming third at the 2012 MVC Cross Country Championship, finishing the 8-kilometer course in Normal, Ill. in 24:25.01.

Austin was awarded the MVC Elite 18 Award for men's cross country, which is given to the highest achieving student-athlete when combining athletic finish at the MVC Championship and cumulative grade-point average. Austin holds a 3.58 GPA with a double-major in math and education. He was presented with the award by Athletic Director Sandy Hatfield-Clubb on Wednesday (Dec. 5).

Along with the conference honors, Austin was also awarded the Fred Feiler Leadership Award by the coaching staff. The honor is given to the member of the team who most exemplifies Drake Cross Country Excellence - both in performance and leadership.

Austin was the team captain and led the Bulldogs for the six primary meets of the season.

The young Bulldog team battled a flux of injuries throughout the season, but still managed to attain multiple impressive performances. Led by Austin, the team finished fourth at the MVC Championship with 137 points. Rob McCann capped strong freshman season with a top-25 finish in 25:32.53. Sophomore Conor Wells finished in 32nd and was followed by fifth-year senior Charlie Lapham in 33rd.

As a team Drake won the Grand View Invitational, claiming the top-four places, with senior Mike Rodriguez earning his first collegiate victory. Rodriguez finished the 8-kilometer course in 26:12.00 to win while junior Ryan Flynn finished second in 26:16.00.

McCann also won the Jim Garrison Leadership Award. Garrison was a four-year letter winner in cross country and track from 1984-1988. The award is given to the freshman that exemplifies the up and coming Drake student athlete. McCann was in the Bulldog's top six for all of his competitions while finishing in 25th at the MVC's.