Great Lakes Wire

MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan cross country team is set to commence the new season at the Phoenix Open this Friday, September 6. Hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the meet will begin at 5 p.m. ET in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Fans can follow @NMU_Track_Field and @NMU_Wildcats on X (formerly known as Twitter) for updates leading up to and during the race.

Jenny Ryan commented on the team's readiness: "We definitely have a lot of depth on the team with some great returners and some great freshmen. We've had some great workouts and we have to make sure we are doing all the little extra things to make sure we're ready to go."

Among Northern's returning athletes is All-GLIAC junior Madi Szymanski from Alpena, Michigan. Szymanski finished 8th at the GLIAC Championships and 12th at Regionals in 2023, setting a personal record time of 20:55.83. She represented NMU at the National Championships, finishing 65th out of over 260 runners.

Junior Gianna Hoving aims to contribute significantly after placing 24th at the GLIAC Championships and achieving a personal best time of 21:51.9 at Regionals last season. Senior Skylar Grubb also seeks an important role following her 27th place finish at last year's GLIAC Championship.

Additional key contributors include sophomores Emma Sweeney, Dani Van Lente, Lamar Gordon, and freshmen Celia Wallace and Lola Korpi. The roster comprises 26 runners, including nine new freshmen and one transfer addition. Most team members hail from Michigan, with two from Wisconsin and one from Minnesota.

The Wildcats are ranked seventh in the Midwest in the initial USTFCCCA regional poll for this season after ending last year ranked ninth regionally. NMU was picked to finish fourth in the GLIAC Preseason Poll after being selected fifth last year but concluding with a fourth-place finish—their best since 2017—at the GLIAC Championships.