DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University cross country team won its second team title of the season on Friday, winning the NIU Huskie Challenge at the North 40 Course on campus.
 
"It's nice to come out here and run on our home course and learn the nuances at a more of a race effort," said head coach Adrian Myers. "To come here and run in front of our friends, family, NIU supporters, and the community is great for the program. The one thing we've been stressing is learning how to win. We've done that twice in a row now and obviously our ambition is to win the big one."
 
The Huskies had four of the top-six finishers in Friday's race, a preview of the Mid-American Championships on Nov. 2. Junior Ashley Tutt (Channahon, Ill./Minooka) won her second straight race of the season Friday afternoon. Tutt covered the six-kilometer course in a time of 21:51.2, 17 seconds ahead of Meg Swietlik of Milwaukee.
 
Ericka Hibser (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown) took fourth place Friday in a time of 22:23.3. Mackenzie Callahan (Minooka, Ill./Minooka) was right behind her in fifth with a time of 22:31.5. Vivian Overbeck (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills) finished sixth in 22:34.1, staking the Huskies to a solid spot atop the team standings. Sophomore Hannah Ricci (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) rounded out NIU's scoring group, finishing 16^th in a time of 23:06.1.
 
"We wanted to go to the front, control the pace, and be very comfortable," Myers said. "On the second lap we did what we needed to do to ice it up. Looking at the big picture for November, we were going to have to control our effort today to get the most out of it."
 
NIU took the team title with 32 points with Toledo second with 56 points. Central Michigan finished third with 94 points, one point ahead of Milwaukee with 95. Kent State rounded out the top-five with 101 points.
 
The Huskies are next in competition on Saturday, September 28 at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational in Chicago.
 
Team Standings
1. NIU, 32
2. Toledo, 56
3. Central Michigan, 94
4. Milwaukee, 95
5. Kent State, 101
6. UIC, 178
7. Western Illinois, 188
8. Harper College, 263
9. Illinois Tech, 278
 
NIU Individual Finishers
1. Ashley Tutt, 21:51.2
4. Ericka Hibser, 22:23.3
5. Mackenzie Callahan, 22:31.5
6. Vivian Overbeck, 22:34.1
16. Hannah Ricci, 23:06.1
17. Melissa Ricci, 23:06.6
20. Sara Atkins, 23:29.0
25. Kaitlin Miller, 23:41.7
28. Meagan Biddle, 23:44.9
32. Brooke Lytle, 23:53.2
45. Mercer Mack, 24:32.3
52. Maggie Cavanaugh, 24:47.7
73. Sarah Virgo, 27:05.7
 
--NIU--