Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University women's cross country team will compete at the Husky Invitational hosted by Michigan Tech on Friday, October 17, at 4:15 p.m. This event marks the final regular season meet before the GLIAC Championships, which are scheduled for the following weekend. In preparation for the postseason, several of NMU's top runners will not participate in this meet.

Fans can follow race updates on X by following @NMU_Track_Field and @NMU_Wildcats. Race results will be available on the Michigan Tech Huskies' official website.

Head coach Jenny Ryan commented on the team's recent performance, stating, "Last weekend, our runners did what we talked about, and we saw what we could do. We have seven runners that are strong, and that is what you want in cross country."

The Wildcats enter this weekend ranked No. 15 in the USTFCCCA National Poll. The team has consistently placed in the top four at all four meets this season. Madi Szymanski, a two-time GLIAC Athlete of the Week, has led NMU in each race, achieving top finishes including fifth place at both the Phoenix Open and Roy Griak Invite, ninth at the Lucian Rosa Invite, and third at the Royals Challenge.

At their most recent meet, the Royals Challenge in Charlotte, NMU secured first place out of 18 teams, narrowly defeating No. 19 Catawba in a competitive field. Szymanski set a new program record in the 5K with a time of 17:18.7, surpassing her previous personal best by over a minute. Freshman Ashley Choponis finished fourth, and Emma Sweeney took ninth with a significant personal record. Beverly Harper and Sophia Potter completed the team's scoring five, all finishing under 18 minutes. The Wildcats were the only team in the meet to have five runners finish in under 18 minutes.