Nearly half the teams competing in Sunday’s Big Ten Championships are ranked among the top 30 in the country. Northwestern is not among those teams.

Consequently, the Wildcats will be facing an uphill battle this weekend at the 6K meet held in Falcon Heights, Minn. Among the competition are No. 3 Michigan, No. 6 Illinois, No. 11 Minnesota, No. 23 Michigan State and No. 30 Iowa.

“It’s a solid field for us to be able to compete in,” coach Amy Tush said. “We’ve got to rise to the occasion, do our best and let the chips fall where they may.”

The Cats finished 10th in the 11-team field last year.

Sophomore Marie Grabinski is the only runner competing this year who scored in the race. In 2004, Grabinski notched a time of 22:23, finishing 35th.

Grabinski is among nine NU runners competing in the race. Other top contenders for the team lead include freshmen Alison King and Hilary Forman, who each have been NU’s top finisher once this season.

The meet is held on the same course as the Roy Griak Invitational, which the Cats ran in earlier this season. NU finished 27th of 31 teams, with freshman Carly Brown leading the way in 23:22.

“It’s one of the hillier and more challenging courses we go to,” Tush said about the Les Bolstad Golf Course where the race is run.

The course features slight hills early on and switchbacks near the finish. But it’s the competition that is more likely to cause problems for the Cats.

Leading up to the race, Tush has emphasized the importance of running with heart.

“You have to race with passion, like it’s one of your last races,” Tush said of the comments she made to the team. “Forget how the season’s going, whether it’s been good or bad. It can all be erased. Now it’s go time.”

Reach Andrew Simon at [email protected].