WHITEWATER, Wis. – Brooke Valentine (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West) and Joy Jackson (North Aurora, Ill./Benet Academy) each claimed top-10 spots as the Northern Illinois University women's cross country team competed in the Tom Hoffman Invitational on Saturday morning (Sept. 17). Valentine led the way for the Huskies with a sixth-place finish while Jackson claimed ninth in the six-kilometer event. 

"I thought we ran pretty well," said NIU head coach Jamie Moreno. "Brooke (Valentine) ran a pretty good race. She hasn't been able to close on her first couple of races like we would like, but that will come with conditioning. She ran with the front pack most of the race, fell back a bit in the last mile before finishing strong, so she had a solid race.

"The other four are pretty young. For example, Sarah McLaughlin is a walk-on, this is just her second college race. We have six girls that we didn't race because of nagging injuries but we think a few of them will be back in two weeks. I was happy with the ones that competed, obviously we would have liked to have finished higher up, even with the team that we ran, but it was a solid day for us."

For the second consecutive meet, Valentine was the first Huskie to cross the line as she claimed sixth with a time of 23:57.6. Jackson also earned a spot in the top-10, taking ninth with a time of 24:18.9.

Carly Leonard (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./College of Lake County) was able to claim a spot in the top-20, running a time of 25:59.7. The Huskies had just five runners competing in the 73-runner field and each of the other two also posted top-30 finishes. Emma Vorpagel (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) recorded time of 26:25.7 to finish in 25th while Sarah McLaughlin (Rockford, Ill./Guilford) finished 28th with a time of 27:00.0.

Rachel Krouse of Wisconsin-Stevens Point won the individual crown with a time of 23:27.1. As a team, the shorthanded Huskies posted a fourth-place finish as they scored 76 points. Wisconsin-Stevens Point won the team title with 40 points.

"It was actually a really good meet for that group to run in, as opposed to someplace like Louisville or Iowa," said Moreno. "It was a good early meet, and it was put on the schedule for that reason, just trying to get some of our group race experience in smaller meets before we head into our championship season. It's tough when you only have five girls, but it was a good experience for them."

NIU will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 1, when the Huskies travel to Louisville, Ky., to compete in the Live in Louisville Classic. 

Team Standings
1. Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 40
2. Wisconsin-Whitewater, 49
3. Edgewood, 57
4. NIU, 76
5. Maranatha Baptist, 155
6. Beloit, 159

NIU Individuals 
6. Brooke Valentine, 23:57.6
9. Joy Jackson, 24:18.9
18. Carly Leonard, 25:59.7
25. Emma Vorpagel, 26:25.7
28. Sarah McLaughlin, 27:00.0