AMES, Iowa – Amelie Ojeda (Lombard, Ill./Willowbrook) became the first Huskie to finish in the top 50 at the NCAA Midwest Regional since 2019 as the Northern Illinois University women's cross country team competed in the event on Friday (Nov. 13) at the Iowa State Cross Country Course. 

Ojeda ran a time of 20:37.6, the fourth-best six-kilometer time in program history, to finish 49th overall in an elite field that included four of the nation's top 25 ranked programs. She finished 14th among the 63 sophomores in the field. 

"This was a breakthrough race for her," said NIU head coach Juan Carrillo of Ojeda. "As an athlete, you look forward to that day when you have that type of race. I think this is the race where she is going to take off into the track season. She looked confident, strong, competitive and moved up through the whole race. She made the adjustments that we talked about from conference and that is what it is all about, when you give feedback to an athlete and they actually take it into the next race, that is growth."

Sarah Maggio (Aurora, Ill./Metea Valley) was the second Huskie to finish, running 21:57.8. Claire Helmila (Greenville, Wis./Freedom) and Sofia Pena (Jalisco, Mexico) finished in under 23 minutes as Helmila ran 22:32.6 and Pena finished in a season-best time of 22:48.5. 

"We are very young, freshmen and sophomores, one senior," said Carrillo. "So, I think for these younger kids it is a good eye-opening to come here and have a good idea what to expect next year when we are more experienced and more mature. I think it is worth mentioning Sofia (Pena), she has been improving since the day she arrived on campus. She is a steeplechaser, a U20 World Championships qualifier for Mexico, and she is showing signs that, when healthy, she can get better and better through the season."

Iowa State won the team title with a score of 72 while Oklahoma State's Billah Jepkirui earned the individual crown in 19:18.9.

NIU will now turn its attention to the Indoor Track and Field season, which will begin in December. 

Team Standings (Top 5)
1. Iowa State, 72
2. Oklahoma State, 91
3. Northwestern, 113
4. Missouri, 152
5. Minnesota, 155
28, NIU, 815

NIU Individuals
49. Amelie Ojeda, 20:37.6
157. Sarah Maggio, 21:57.9
193. Claire Helmila, 22:32.6
198. Sofia Pena, 22:48.5
225. Ella Spencer, 23:49.9
231. Emerson Fabry, 24:04.6