Northwestern’s 2022 season saw the squad soar to historic heights, highlighted by the Wildcats’ first NCAA Championship bid in 20 years.
Led from the front by Rachel McCardell, arguably the top runner in program history, NU placed 30th at the national championship meet in Stillwater, Oklahoma. But looking forward, coach Jill Miller must build on this success in McCardell’s stead, as the Cats’ captain recently capped her storied collegiate career, graduating in the spring.
While McCardell’s absence presents a potential obstacle to progress, Miller is no stranger to defeating stacked odds, catapulting a program without an official track and field team back onto the nation’s grandest stage.
Senior Katherine Hessler looks to succeed her record-setting teammate as NU’s veteran leader and propel her squad back into the national conversation this season. Hessler boasted a standout outdoor track season this past spring and will carry momentum off the rubber circular surfaces and back onto the rolling Midwestern cross country hills.
NU’s junior class packs a significant blend of speed and savvy, which Miller will rely on throughout the Cats’ fall campaign. Expect juniors Ava Earl and Anna Hightower to build on strong sophomore slates and help NU compete in contentious conference and regional meets.
The road to the 2023 National Championships in Earlysville, Virginia proves an uphill climb, but Miller and the Cats look to silence the doubters and make their second-consecutive appearance this November at Panorama Farms.
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