Given its strong performances in the past two races, the Northwestern women’s cross country team could finish as high as third at the Big Ten championships this Sunday. But with the strength of Big Ten teams this year, the Wildcats could also finish as low as eighth.
Michigan State was the pre-season favorite to win the conference but has since tailed off considerably. Early in the season, the Spartans won the Roy Griak Invitational, where NU finished 12th. The last time the two squads faced off, at the Pre-National Invitational, the Cats nearly got the best of Michigan State, finishing 13th — two spots behind the heavy favorite.
Perennial power Wisconsin may be the best team in the Big Ten now. The only time the Cats have seen the Badgers was at the Notre Dame Invitational, where Wisconsin finished four spots ahead of NU, in second place.
NU head coach Amy Tush set a high goal for her squad for this weekend. She said she would like to see her team finish in the top three in West Lafayette, Ind.
“We’re right where we should be at this point in the season,” Tush said. “We’ve beaten Penn State and, in essence, beat Minnesota as well.”
Two weeks ago at the Pre-National race, the 106 teams competing were split into three races. Had Minnesota and NU been in the same race, the Cats would have finished higher.
But all of that won’t matter after this weekend.
“If everyone runs a good race, we’ll do just all right,” senior Nicole Kuznia said. “But I really think that we have the potential to surprise some people.”
The meet will be hosted by Purdue, and cold weather definitely will be factor.
NU, however, remains confident.
“I think as a team, we all like to run in cold weather,” Kuznia said. “We have a couple of people with asthma on the team, and once it gets cold all the pollen is gone, which helps.”
The Cats will be anchored once again by senior standout Rachel Evjen. Evjen has been the Cats’ top finisher in every race she has run since her sophomore year.
At the Pre-National meet, she was a mere six seconds shy of her personal record in the 6-kilometer race.
Her consistency has made Evjen one of the team’s top contributors. But this weekend, NU will need an exceptional race from more than just Evjen.
The top five runners from each team will earn points toward the team total, so the Cats will need strong performances from their third, fourth and fifth runners to reach Tush’s goal.
Sophomore Diana Hossfeld was the No. 2 runner for the Cats last season. This year she has consistently been third, literally right on the heels of Kuznia.
Juniors Emily Blakeslee and Nora Colligan and senior Laura Evans will make or break the Cats this weekend. While they have all had good seasons, Tush hopes they will be peaking at just the right time as the season winds down.
If any of them can step up and have a strong race, NU may find itself closer to third than eighth.
NU at Big Ten championships
11:30 a.m., Sunday
Varsity Cross Country Course
West Lafayette, Ind.
