Following gritty performances in Northwestern’s previous outing at the UW Preview in Seattle, where they climbed towards the top of the program record books, junior Skye Ellis and graduate student Holly Smith each claimed individual victories at the Midwest Classic this weekend.
In her latest showing before the team’s trip to Indianapolis this weekend, Smith clocked a 9:20.32 time in the 3,000-meter race, trimming eight seconds off her personal best and securing the fourth-fastest time in school history for the event. Ellis finished just over a second behind her — good for fifth place in the record book.
While neither runner improved those marks this weekend, they still delivered dominant performances in their respective events. Smith won the 5,000-meter race, while Ellis took the top spot in the 3,000.
On Friday night, Smith led the Wildcats with a victory in the 5,000, finishing in 16:34.37 — a time that ranks fifth in NU history. Graduate student Katherine Hessler was close behind in third place, finishing 20 seconds back, while senior Whitney Currie placed 12th.
In addition to her 5,000 performance, Smith also added a third-place finish in the mile with a time of 4:54.28.
Saturday, Ellis captured first place in the 3,000 with a time of 9:36.12. Senior Anna Hightower took fourth with a 9:56.08 finish. Junior Mallory Grubb and sophomore Kailey Zagst made their 3,000 debuts, finishing eighth and 10th, respectively.
Following individual victories at the Midwest Classic, the ’Cats will return to the track for the Blue Demon Alumni Classic at DePaul Saturday.
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