Women's Cross Country | September 3
DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University women's cross country team will open its 2026 season on Friday evening, Sept. 4, on the North 40 Course on campus in the Huskie Classic. The five-kilometer women's race is scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m.
"Everyone had a good summer and there is a lot of excitement to get the season started, especially at home in front of family and friends," said NIU head coach
Juan Carrillo. "There is a lot of positivity and good vibes going into this first race.
"We want to work on what we have done in training, which is run in packs.
Amelie Ojeda might be up in the front competing for the individual title, but from our number two to our number five, I want to see those athletes running together for as long as they can."
Last season,
Amelie Ojeda (Lombard, Ill./Willowbrook) led the way for NIU in the Huskie Classic, running a time of 18:39.52 to earn a fourth-place finish. DePaul won the team title last season at the Huskie Classic.
NIU returns four of its five competitors from last season's Huskie Classic as
Claire Helmila (Greenville, Wis./Freedom),
Ariel Hernandez (Rock Falls, Ill./Rock Falls) and
Varri Higgins (Bethesda, Md./Chevy Chase) join Ojeda in returning from competing in the event a season ago. Those four also represented NIU at the conference championship last season.
The Huskies have added four newcomers to their roster in 2026, including sophomore transfer
Sofia Pena (Jalisco, Mexico/Texas State), who represented her native Mexico at the World Athletics U20 Championships in the steeplechase in 2024.
"We have more depth compared to last year," said Carrillo. "We had a smaller roster last year and when you have a few injuries, that can affect you later in the season. This year, we have more depth, more athletes that can handle the longer distances in cross country, I think that is going to help us a lot. Our returners are more experienced, all the freshmen that were at the MAC Championships are coming back with more experience that can help us."
NIU was picked to finish ninth in the 2026 Under Armour Horizon League Women's Cross Country Preseason Poll, which was released on Tuesday (Sept. 1).
Following Friday's meet, NIU will return to action on Friday, Sept. 18, when the Huskies take part in the Redbird Invite, hosted by Illinois State in Normal.
