DeKalb, Ill. – This Saturday, the Northern Illinois University cross country team makes its first trip to the Ashton Cross Country Course in Iowa City, Iowa for the NCAA Midwest Regional Preview. The race begins at 8:30 a.m.
The Huskies will make a second trip to the Ashton Cross Country Course later in the season when they head to the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships on November 11.
"We put this meet on the schedule for two reasons, to have a confidence booster coming out of the Griak Invitational, which can be a very humbling meet for most," said head coach Adrian Myers. "Then two, so we can get the girls on the regional course in advance of competing there in November for a national championship bid."
Last week's Roy Griak Invitational competition was not what the Huskies were expecting, but their efforts did not go without reward as the team went up two spots in the regional rankings this week.
"Griak was a learning experience for us," said Myers. "The ladies beat a lot of very good teams, which was reflected by us being bumped up to No. 7 in a very competitive Midwest region.
"We have to go to meets like Griak to show we belong now, and that we can handle that sort of national class heat. If we truly aspire to those levels of national promise, we have to do those sort of things and not shy away."
The race this weekend will feature the Huskies' top-five racers from last weekend's race including front runner Hope Schmelzle (Wheaton, Ill./Purdue), junior Kelsey Hildreth (Byron, Ill./Byron), freshman Vivian Overbeck (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills), sophomore Ericka Hibser (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown) and junior Lorena Martin (Salamanca, Spain/IFS Fray Luis de Leon).
The Huskies will also be taking senior Carly Pederson (Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community), sophomores Maura Beattie (Woodstock, Ill./Woodstock) and Michaela Heit (Rockford, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) as well as freshman Mercer Mack (Eureka, Ill./Eureka).
"I expect to see some of our ladies really step up and continue to show development," said Myers. "I know where we sit right now from a training standpoint, because we've been training so hard and look very good. Now it's time to begin sharpening up a little more as we're about five weeks out from the MAC Championships."
This race will be an indication as to how far the Huskies have come in the past two seasons with the competition heavy in regional-ranked teams.
Teams Competing: Iowa (Midwest No. 13), Iowa State (NCAA No. 7/Midwest No. 4), NIU (Midwest No. 7), Northwestern (Midwest No. 11), South Dakota (Midwest No. 10), Illinois (Midwest No. 12), UIC and Western Illinois.
–NIU–
