September 10, 2004

WOMEN'S COLLEGIATE CROSS COUNTRY--Northern Illinois University at Bradley Open / at Peoria, IL / Detweiller Park / Five-Kilometer Course / Friday / September 10, 2004

NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY at BRADLEY OPEN / at PEORIA, IL

Team Placing:
1. Marquette 20
2. Illinois State 60
3. Northern Illinois 102
4. Northern Iowa 109
5. Bradley 121
6. Eastern Illinois 143
7. IUPUI 151

Northern Illinois Placewinners:
9) Alicja Czajka, 18:33; 14) Jessica Schauff, 18:55, 20) Michelle Rhoden, 19:19, 28) Emily Ramsey, 19:39, 31) Bonnie Miller, 19:42

Other NIU Finishers:
35) Stephanie Sorn, 19:49, 36) Stacey Rosch, 19:50

CZAJKA LEADS WAY WITH FOURTH-FASTEST TIME IN NIU HISTORY, HUSKIE CROSS COUNTRY TAKES THIRD
PEORIA, IL --- Just one week after winning her first race of the season at the Huskie Invitational, Northern Illinois University senior cross country runner Alicja Czajka (Swarzedz, Poland / Poznan) led the way again, running the fourth-fastest time in school history to lead NIU to a third-place finish at the Bradley Open Friday (Sept. 10).

The Huskies accumulated 102 total team points, finishing behind only meet champion Marquette (20) and Illinois State (60). NIU also beat out instate rivals Bradley (121) and Eastern Illinois (143).

Czajka set a new personal best, and now owns two of the five top times in Northern Illinois history. The senior---who ironically enough set her old personal best on the same five-kilometer Detweiller Park Course in Peoria back in 2002---entered the chute in 18:33 and nabbed ninth place in the final standings.

Sophomore Jessica Schauff (Dixon) also raised the bar for herself, running the first sub-19-minute time of her career with an 18:55. Schauff's time was nine seconds faster than the 19:04 she ran at last fall's Pack-It-Up Illini Challenge and earned her 14th-place honors.

Michelle Rhoden (Joliet / West) rounded out a trio of Huskies who placed in the top 20, finishing 20th with a time of 19:19. Second-year runner Emily Ramsey (Waukesha, WI / West)---who is the only active Huskie to own a faster time than Czajka over the course of her career---and Bonnie Miller (Plainfield) took home the last two Huskie placewinner's spots in 28th and 31 places, respectively, with times of 19:39 and 19:42.

Northern Illinois gets right back to work Saturday (Sept. 18) by traveling to Mid-American Conference foe Toledo for the Central Collegiate Championships. The women's five-kilometer race is set for 11:45 a.m. (EDT).

-NIU- -Copy by Brian Kedzior