PEORIA, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University women's cross country team competed for the final time before the conference championship on Friday (Oct. 16) as the Huskies took part in the Bradley Pink Classic on the Newman Golf Course.
NIU finished 18th overall, second among the four Horizon League teams in the field, finishing behind Oakland and ahead of Green Bay and Milwaukee.
"Today was a great day," said NIU head coach
Juan Carrillo. "I cannot remember the last time we had three runners under 22 minutes. We had a lot of PRs, and not just five second PRs, 30-second, one-minute PRs. From a coach's perspective, you want to see those things, people are getting better and we are not even peaking yet. Two weeks from now, we should be in much better shape."
Amelie Ojeda (Lombard, Ill./Willowbrook) paced the Huskies, running a time of 21:01.6 to claim 34th in the field of 220 runners.
Sarah Maggio (Aurora, Ill./Metea Valley) earned a spot inside the top 100, crossing the line in a time of 21:46.8, while
Claire Helmila (Greenville, Wis./Freedom) also ran a time under 22 minutes, finishing in 21:58.4.
Emerson Fabry (Pulaski, Wis./Pulaski) was the fourth Huskie to finish, running 22:41.6, followed by
Sofia Pena (Jalisco, Mexico) in 23:04.1 and
Isabella Grieder (Groveland, Ill./Morton) running 25:31.7.
"I think Amelie (Ojeda) finally had a breakthrough race," said Carrillo. "She is racing with more confidence and working harder in parts of the race where she hasn't been in the past. I saw more of a fight today in those parts of the race with her today."
NIU will be back in action on Saturday, Oct. 31, when the Huskies compete in the Horizon League Championship at Youthtowne Fields in Clinton, Pa.
Team Standings
1. Bradley, 49
2. Grand Valley State, 63
3. South Dakota, 71
4. Illinois State, 95
5. North Dakota State, 139
18. NIU, 482
NIU Individuals
34.
Amelie Ojeda, 21:01.6
94.
Sarah Maggio, 21:46.8
110.
Claire Helmila, 21:58.4
146.
Emerson Fabry, 22:41.6
167.
Sofia Pena, 23:04.2
210.
Isabella Grieder, 25:31.7
