With its regular season winding down, the Northwestern cross country team finally has the luxury of easing off in its workouts. But the Wildcats have no time to back off if they want to secure a postseason berth.
After running in the nation’s third-largest meet two weeks ago, NU will once again square off against the nation’s best in today’s Notre Dame Invitational.
Among the Big Ten elite that will be in attendance are Michigan, Purdue, Ohio State and Indiana. But NU coach April Ecke will be keeping her eye on No. 24 Duke and No. 25 Ball State.
“Obviously, (I want) them to run their best race,” Ecke said. “It will help us if we beat those two teams. It’s going to be tough, but it would help us.”
Beating teams in the Top 25 would help NU get one of the 13 at-large bids into the NCAA championships.
At-large spots are voted on by a panel of coaches who select teams that have met certain criteria like placing in national meets and beating Top 25 teams during the season.
Sophomore Nicole Kuznia firmly believes that the team will make it to Ames, Iowa, the site of the 2000 Championships.
“I think we will (make it to nationals),” she said. “You have to think that or else how can you make it?”
With this confidence, Kuznia is not at all intimidated by the big meets.
“I like the competitive ones,” she said. “I want to know where we stand. I think we’re in the Top 25 in the nation.”
The Cats received two Top 25 votes in this week’s FinishLynx coaches poll, but still have a long way to go if they want to be ranked for the first time in the program’s three-year history. But rankings don’t concern the team’s top runner, sophomore Rachel Evjen.
“If I’m feeling good, I’ll go out and race after the top people,” Evjen said of this weekend’s competition. “Every day I want to just go out and do my best that day. I always have a time in the back of my head (going into a race), but I’ve realized in college that the place (you finish) really counts.”
However, Ecke still sees problems in the top five on the team namely the consistency and the spread of times between the runners. Kuznia hopes to contribute to Ecke’s wishes of a more consistent top five.
“(I want) to do well on our team,” she said. “Last week I was No. 5 and I want to score points for the team. I definitely want to be our No. 5, if not No. 4, runner.”
Kuznia gives much credit to her teammates, especially Evjen, for helping her run well.
“I think as a unit we’re working really well together,” Kuznia said. “It’s nice to work with people who are working toward the same goal. It’s nice to have a team goal instead of an individual one.”