Mitchell was the first female student-athlete at Butler to win an NCAA championship. She won the steeplechase event in 2005 and was rewarded with All-American honors.
While at Butler, Mitchell was named both Horizon League Track and Field Athlete of the Year as well as Horizon League Cross Country Athlete of the Year. She was the Horizon League champion in the indoor 3,000-meters and the outdoor champion in the 800-meters, mile, steeplechase and 5,000-meters.
In 2005, Mitchell finished fourth in the NCAA Cross Country Championships. She was an All-American that season both on the course and in the classroom. The previous season, Mitchell placed seventh in the NCAA Steeplechase, once again earning All-American accolades.
Mitchell placed second at the 2005 World University Games in the steeplechase and finished fourth at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. She later would represent Australia in the 2008 and 2016 Olympics in the steeplechase.
