In only two meets, Northwestern has shown that its success this year will come from riding a pack of purple to the finish line.
The team used a pack-running strategy to win its second meet of the season, the Huskie Open at Northern Illinois University on Sept. 12.
The Wildcats placed five runners in the top 10 at the Open, and the small split between their first and last scorers paid off with a 44-point victory in the nine-team meet.
“We were supposed to go out in our separate training pace groups,” said Allegra Mayer, who took third place and was NU’s top finisher. “We went out at six minutes (for the first mile), so a little fast, and we were all supposed to run together and work together through that first mile. That really helped a lot, just to know exactly what you’re doing through that first mile.”
Mayer, a freshman, covered the 5K course in 19:06. She was joined at the front of the pack by classmate Audrey Huth, who took sixth place.
NU’s freshmen are putting together strong starts because of their hard work, coach April Likhite said.
“I’ve been real excited about how our newcomers reported to preseason,” she said. “You can tell they did what they needed to do over the summer.”
Youth was served as sophomores took the next two spots in NU’s lineup.
Rachel Kaminski finished less than a second behind Huth in seventh, and Hallie Busta took ninth.
Senior Paulina Garcia rounded out the scoring for the team by taking 10th.
Although the Cats picked up the victory, Likhite said the team showed it still has room for growth.
“The races were good, but overall they weren’t great,” she said. “We’re a young team, and as a group, our one through five need to run a little closer together if we are going to walk away with an improvement from last year.”
Likhite said she believes the Cats could have done slightly better at the season-opening DePaul Early Bird Invitational. NU took third place without Huth, though the team was looking for a top-two finish at the meet.
Mayer was also the Cats’ top runner at that event, taking eighth in her first collegiate meet. Kaminski and Busta both finished within five seconds of Mayer, taking 10th and 11th, respectively.
As the Cats prepare for upcoming larger invitationals and, ultimately, the Big Ten Championships and NCAA regionals, the team will rely on its depth to take strides.
“We’ve got a great top five right now,” Likhite said. “We have five girls that can challenge each other. But we definitely have a lot of work ahead of us.
“The Big Ten is just so competitive … by the time we get to Regionals, that’s where we can show our growth.”
