PEORIA, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University cross country team earned a 10th place finish on Friday afternoon at the Bradley Pink Classic on the Newman Golf Course. Sophomore Ashley Tutt (Channahon, Ill./Minooka) led the Huskies, finishing 15th overall in a time of 21:09.5.
"We closed the gap on some teams ranked higher than us in the region and conference, so that's one thing we wanted to accomplish today," said NIU head coach Adrian Myers. "We are really struggling from three to five right now, and have for two years now. We will really work to fill those critical roles moving forward, we have the depth to do it, we just simply have to do it.
"We're a very young team that's learning more with each passing week, but to say this is the best version of ourselves right now would not be accurate. This is a team that can really turn some heads once everything clicks, and it will."
NIU's 10th place finish was just four points behind Xavier and second among the five Mid-American Conference schools in the 39-team field, behind only fifth-place Toledo.
Tutt was one of two Huskies to finish in the top-25 as sophomore Mackenzie Callahan (Minooka, Ill./Minooka) finished the six-kilometer course in 21:24.2, to finish 25th. Sophomore Daly Galloway (Dwight, Ill./Dwight) and freshman Hannah Ricci (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) also finished in the top-100, Galloway taking 86th in 22:12.8 and Ricci finishing 97th in 22:12.8
"Daly Galloway is getting better every single week and I know she will continue to rise up and prove herself as a critical component to our success," said Myers. "Ashley (Tutt) has been battling some tendonitis for a few weeks now and is currently on the mend, she will be ready to race up front come MAC.
"Mackenzie (Callahan) did a good job of holding down the second position for us in a large field, she's growing more and more each week into the athlete I know that she is."
In the "white" race, sophomore Maggie Cavanaugh (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South) finished fifth with a time of 23:06.7 while sophomore Meagan Biddle (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Hoffman Estates) was eighth, crossing the line in 23:29.1.
"Maggie and Meagan executed excellent races today and walked away having closed the gap on our top-nine. They will be in the fold in critical positions in the coming years and I am proud of their development."
Team Scores (Top Five Only)
1. Iowa State, 51
2. South Dakota, 138
3. Illinois, 142
4. Grand Valley State, 149
5. Toledo, 179
10. NIU, 315
NIU Individual Finishes
15. Ashley Tutt, 21:09.5
25. Mackenzie Callahan, 21:24.2
86. Daly Galloway, 22:04.3
97. Hannah Ricci, 22:12.8
124. Vivian Overbeck, 22:25.8
171. Nora Finegan, 22:53.1
172. Sara Atkins, 22:53.6
189. Melissa Ricci, 23:01.4
206. Mercer Mack, 23:13.8
NIU White Race
5. Maggie Cavanaugh, 23:06.7
8. Meagan Biddle, 23.29.1
22. Ryan Block, 24:10.0
57. Sarah Virgo, 26:22.3
