When the Northwestern cross country team travels to South Bend, Ind., this weekend, it will be looking to improve on last year’s 17th-place finish.
That shouldn’t be too hard, considering that last fall NU head coach Amy Tush rested her starting squad at the Notre Dame Invitational.
This time, the Wildcats will have their starters — and the advantage of a healthy Rachel Evjen.
With her injured knee now fully recovered, the senior looks to capitalize on the flat terrain of the five-kilometer course.
Evjen has been the fastest NU runner in the last 15 races she has started.
Spanning two seasons, she has been a staple of the otherwise young squad. But when she went down early this season with the minor injury, the spotlight was directed at fellow senior Nicole Kuznia.
Kuznia won the individual title in the Cats’ first race this season at Illinois State. Last week at the Roy Griak Invitational, Evjen barely escaped her friend and teammate by 18 seconds.
But don’t be mistaken — these two say they aren’t in competition with each other.
“We really don’t even talk about it,” said Evjen. “We obviously hope the other person does well.”
When the two suit up today with the rest of the NU squad, they will have more to worry about than each other. Host Notre Dame is ranked No. 3 in the nation.
Along with No. 2 Stanford, the Cats will be tested by a handful of Big Ten teams, including Purdue, Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois.
NU will also be running against Ball State and Illinois State — two teams the Cats will have to face at the Midwest Regional Championships Nov. 16.
Rather than focus on the top-ranked teams — the Fighting Irish and the Cardinal — Tush has set realistic goals for the Cats.
“We will concentrate on beating teams in our region,” Tush said. “And, of course, the Big Ten teams.”
Tush will be on double-duty this weekend, as she will send the second squad to the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational Saturday.
The Lakefront Invitational is hosted by Loyola-Chicago and should test the non-starters.
The second team last ran at the Midwest Open in Kenosha, Wisc., where it finished 17th in a field of 30 teams. Sophomore Caroline Speirs was the first NU runner to finish the race.
The focus this weekend will definitely be in South Bend, where the Cats look to take advantage of the runner-friendly course.
“This is a flat, fast course,” said Evjen. “People can get really good times because it’s so flat.”
One of those people will be Kuznia, who wouldn’t mind beating her longtime friend, Evjen.
“I would like to be Northwestern’s No. 1 runner,” Kuznia said. “Or at least I’d like for me and Rachel to be a duo — just so she doesn’t feel like she always has to carry the team.”
NU at Notre Dame Invitational
4:30 p.m., today
Burke Memorial Golf Course
South Bend, Ind.
NU at Lakefront Invitational
11 a.m., Saturday
Montrose Beach Park
Chicago, Ill.
