The Northwestern cross country team finished its season Saturday at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships in Peoria, Ill. The team placed 14th out of 26 teams, and once again was lead by freshman Marie Grabinski, who finished 32nd overall with a time of 21:36, the best performance of her career.
“Most of us were really happy,” senior Caroline Speirs said. “The majority of us got season- or even lifetime-best times.”
The season finale was a showcase for the seniors, who finished 60th, 69th, 100th and 154th out of 185 runners.
“All the seniors were happy to go out that way,” Speirs said. “We have high hopes for next year.”
Now that her NU running career is over, Speirs is reflecting on her time on the team and the prospect of leaving it.
“It’s kind of bittersweet. It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Speirs said. “All week the seniors have been talking about how weird it is. It’s nice to be a regular student, but I’m going to miss the team. Being on it was one of the best experiences of my college life. But I’m ready to move on.”
Graduation isn’t going to stop the seniors from continuing to run. The four already have made plans to run in a marathon together.
“I think it would be cool if we could all come together and run,” Speirs said. “I’m going to enjoy being a recreational runner.”
The team is looking forward to next season.
“I’m really excited about next year,” junior Karen Stene said. “A lot of the recruits we’re looking at are really fast. I mean, we’re going to lose four of our top eight runners to graduation, but with people like Marie Grabinski, we’ll be OK.”
“The freshmen have so much potential,” Speirs said. “All our underclassmen are really strong. I think they can really step it up next year. I think this year has made the team hungry for next year. I’m excited to follow the team in the future.”
Reach Brandon Kreines at [email protected].
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14th-place finish ends season
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