DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University cross country team is headed to its third in-state competition of the season at the Bradley Classic Friday at 2 p.m.
The six kilometer race is the Huskies' third of the season after two five kilometer races at the beginning of the season when they went to Illinois and Illinois State.
"We're excited to get on a fast course this Friday with a very competitive 33-team field," said head coach Adrian Myers. "It'll serve as a great tune-up for our girls as they head into the MAC Championships two weeks from now."
The Huskies are coming off a two-week competition break after competing in the NCAA Midwest Regional Preview.
"We really needed those couple weeks after our last race to recollect, refocus, and get back to work," said Myers "The ladies used those weeks to string together some truly exceptional training sessions which were pretty eye opening as to how good we really are."
This week's race will include several regionally ranked teams including some Midwest competition in host school Bradley (No. 13), Missouri (No. 6), South Dakota (No. 9) as well as two teams the Huskies have already outraced this season Illinois (No. 7) and Iowa (No. 11).
Coach Myers is looking to Hope Schmelzle (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South) and Ericka Hibser (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown) as the Huskies' two front runners for the race.
"We look to run a solid team race this weekend and expect to see Hope Schmelzle lead that attack," said Myers. "Ericka Hibser will likely be right behind her. She looks better than ever as we dialed her training volumes back a little to give her legs some rest. I expect to see those two deliver a couple of the fastest times ever recorded here at NIU for cross country."
The coaching staff is not only looking at Schmelzle and Hibser for great times this weekend. A lot is expected from the rest of the top runners on the team.
"Our remaining scoring contingent of Carly Pederson, Lorena Martin, Vivian Overbeck, Maura Beattie and Kelsey Hildreth will be joined by Ali Olson, who we sat at Iowa to train, have looked very good and ready to perform," said Myers. "They've been training for this time of the year and I've spoken to them along the way of the importance in focusing on October-November."
The Huskies are excited for a quick course and the chance to compete against a lot of regionally-ranked foes. Coach Myers has expressed many times this year how excited he is to have such a great group of runners this season.
"We've talked about 'mining' all fall so that we can start to 'cut diamonds' in the championship season. These ladies have worked harder than any group I've seen for this coming month, and I can't wait to see what they do."
Teams Competing: Missouri State, Illinois (MIDWEST #7), Indiana (GREAT LAKES #4), Creighton, Toledo (GREAT LAKES #10/MAC), Western Illinois, Xavier (Ohio), Saint Louis, Loyola (Ill.), Northern Iowa (MIDWEST #15), UMKC, Bradley (MIDWEST #13), Lamar (SOUTH CENTRAL #13), Colorado (MOUNTAIN #1/NCAA #1), Illinois State, Illinois-Chicago, South Dakota St., Valparaiso, Missouri (MIDWEST #6), Iowa (MIDWEST #11), DePaul, Windsor, Southern Illinois, UW-Milwaukee, Ball State, SIU-Edwardsville, South Dakota (MIDWEST #9), Dayton (GREAT LAKES #13), UW-Green Bay, Kansas State, Eastern Illinois, Southeast Missouri
–NIU–
