DEKALB, Ill. -- Junior Ashley Tutt (Channahon, Ill./Minooka) of the Northern Illinois University women's cross country team won the individual title at the 2019 Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 2), on NIU's North 40 Course, becoming the first runner in school history to earn a MAC individual championship. Tutt and the Huskies finished second in the team race, trailing MAC Champion Eastern Michigan by just two points. 

"She is a special kid," said NIU cross country head coach Adrian Myers of Tutt. "She wanted to make it an uncomfortable, tough race, she got just that and in that environment she always thrives. She woke up this morning knowing that she was going to win a MAC title."

Tutt, who posted a conference championship winning time of 21:18.5, was joined on the All-MAC First Team by junior Mackenzie Callahan (Minooka, Ill./Minooka) who took third overall in 21:47.8. Senior Ericka Hibser (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown) earned All-MAC Second Team honors with a 13th-place overall finish in 22:22.9.

This marks the first time in school history that NIU has had three All-MAC performers in the same season. 

Two more top-25 finishes rounded out the scoring for the Huskies as senior Vivian Overbeck (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills) was 20th in 22:35.1 while sophomore Hannah Ricci (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) was 25th with a time of 22:47.2. NIU scored 62 points and was just edged by Eastern Michigan's 60 as the Eagles had four top-15 finishers. NIU and EMU were both comfortably ahead of third-place Miami who finished with 93 points. 

The team championship marked the fifth consecutive conference crown for Eastern Michigan while NIU's 62 points was the best mark by a second-place finishing team since 2013 when Toledo finished second with 48 points. 

"We ran about as good as we could run and just got beat by a couple of points, but that is why you do it, that is why you show up and why they have a meet," said Myers. "It certainly hurts, more than anything for the seniors, they came in at the bottom and got to experience two second-place finishes and two fourth-place finishes, seeing this program rise."

Running among the leaders right from the very start, Tutt began to pull away from the field midway through the second loop of the course on her way to a nearly 10 second victory over second-place Natalie Cizmas of Eastern Michigan (21:28.0). 

"The race was really fun, going out with a plan to be conservative and go from there," said Tutt. "I just wanted to do everything I could to help the team score, I felt good around 3K and just started to take it. We knew the course, so we just wanted to be as tough as we could out there."

In the men's race, Eastern Michigan claimed the team title with 59 points, five ahead of second-place Miami. Akron's Marc Migliozzi (25:15.9) won the individual championship in the 8K men's race. 

"It has been a long last 24 hours with the snowfall and shoveling the course, doing all the work out here to make sure we put on a first-rate competition," said Myers. "We only host this meet once every 12 years, so we wanted to make sure it was something that other teams would remember, our own athletes would remember, and I think we did a heck of a job putting the meet together, all things considered. 

NIU will now turn its attention toward the NCAA Midwest Regional in Stillwater, Okla., on Friday, November 15. 

Team Standings
1. Eastern Michigan, 60
2. NIU, 62
3. Miami, 93
4. Toledo, 102
5. Akron, 117
6. Ball State, 156
7. Ohio, 199
8. Western Michigan, 222
9. Buffalo, 224
10. Bowling Green, 251
11. Kent State, 268
12. Central Michigan, 311

NIU Individual Finishes
1. Ashley Tutt, 21:18.5
3. Mackenzie Callahan, 21:47.8
13. Ericka Hibser, 22:22.9
20. Vivian Overbeck, 22:35.1
25. Hannah Ricci, 22:47.2
34. Meagan Biddle, 23:01.5
42. Brooke Lytle, 23:10.4

First Team All-MAC
Ashley Tutt, NIU
Natalie Cizmas, Eastern Michigan
Mackenzie Callahan, NIU
Karlie Swanson, Eastern Michigan
Petronela Simiuc, Toledo
Haley Hess, Akron
Mackenzie Andrews, Akron

Second Team All-MAC
Lindsey Scarton, Akron
Emily Smith, Eastern Michigan
Emma Bryant, Miami
Cayla Eckenroth, Ball State
Madison Sury, Ohio
Ericka Hibser, NIU
Claire Linn, Miami