The ‘Cats have fallen back to earth after a hot start to the season.
Last Friday, No. 24 Northwestern traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, to compete in the Nuttycombe Invitational. The ‘Cats looked to make some more noise following a strong start to the year that saw them enter the latest national rankings. However, Northwestern placed 18th out of 25 teams with 422 points, just ahead of Michigan. No. 5 Washington won the meet with 110 points.
Leading the way for the ‘Cats was senior Chloe Wellings, who placed 61st with a time of 21:06.8 in the 6k event. Holly Smith was just behind her, placing 70th with a time of 21:11.9. Also placing in the top 100 for NU were Ava Earl and Ava Criniti, who finished 83rd and 87th with times of 21:19.8 and 21:20.9, respectively.
Senior Katherine Hessler finished the race with a time of 21:38.7, good for 122nd place, while Maddy Whitman placed 133rd with a time of 21:46.3. Skye Ellis was the final finisher for the ‘Cats, with her time of 21:48.8 placing her 137th.
Northwestern will be back in action this Friday when it competes in the Loyola Lakefront Invitational in Chicago. The team will look to rebound from its subpar performance in Madison and maintain its spot in the national rankings.