The Wildcats are back to their winning ways.
After cruising to a victory in the Big Ten Preview on September 13, Northwestern cross country seemed to lose a bit of form as the month dragged on. A tight race at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin, saw the ‘Cats come out on the wrong side of a crowded field. There was a nice bounce back from the 18th-place finish at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational a few weeks ago, but the third-place finish still showed more work needed to be done.
Well, that work was done at the Bradley Pink Classic on Friday afternoon. Northwestern cruised to a first-place finish in the Women’s White Race behind five runners in the top 15, including four in the top 10. The Wildcats’ average finishing time of 22:18.72 was the best at the meet by over two seconds, and second-place Kentucky was the only other team with an average finishing time below 22:53.
Mia Mark led the charge in that event, putting forth a brilliant run of 21:35.88 in the 6k race and earning first place. Just two weeks after setting a personal best in the 6k in her second collegiate competition, Mraz shaved over 30 seconds off her time. The next closest finisher, Kentucky’s Morgan Dick, didn’t cross the tape until nearly 12 seconds after Mraz did.
And Mraz’s teammates stepped up big-time as well. Serena Frolli’s new season best of 22:04.30 earned her a sixth-place finish, and Whitney Currie’s season best of 22:28.60 slotted her in at 14th. Audrey Bannister was close behind Currie, finishing in 22:29.86 to take 14th. Much like Mraz, Mallory Grubb also ran a new personal best, with her time of 22:54.94 good enough for 25th.
After the Women’s White Race was over, Northwestern turned its attention to the Women’s Red Race. The Wildcats cruised to a team victory in dominant fashion, finishing with a race-low 44 points and an average finishing time of 20:31.85. For comparison, second-place Loyola Chicago had to settle for 123 points and an average finishing time of 20:53.64.
The Red Race was a display of utter dominance for Northwestern, led by Ava Earl. The superstar senior cruised to a victory, breaking the tape in 20:14.33. No other runner finished under 20:20, showcasing her brilliant finishing skill and great burst. After setting school records in her three outdoor appearances in the spring season, Earl’s dominance on the course is only continuing in the fall.
But it wasn’t a one-woman show for Northwestern. Maddy Whitman also scorched her shoes, trimming more than 44 seconds off her previous personal best to finish with a time of 20:22 on the dot. That finish earned Whitman third place overall in the event. For the junior from England, that marks her highest finish since she won the mile event at the Margaret Bradley Invitational back in February.
Three other Wildcats — Ava Criniti, Chloe Wellings and Skye Ellis — also ended up in the top 20. Criniti’s fall campaign has been nothing short of spectacular, and that continued in Peoria with an 11th-place finish of 20:37.20. Wellings wasn’t too far behind her, snapping her previous personal best by nine seconds en route to a time of 20:38.30, good enough for 13th. As for Ellis, she set a new personal best by almost 17 seconds, finishing in 16th with a time of 20:47.70.
Overall, it was a brilliant day for the Wildcats, winning literally everything there was to win. The White Race, the Red Race and the team title all came up purple thanks to dominant performances and continued improvement from some program mainstays who are finally getting bigger roles this year. As the fall season winds to a close, Northwestern is peaking at the right time.
The Wildcats will hope that peaking continues into November. Next meet up is the Big Ten Championships, which Illinois is hosting right down the road in Champaign. If Northwestern is able to build on its success from this past week in Peoria, then there’s a chance the team could be pouring some champagne in Champaign. That meet will begin on Friday, November 1, and it will be the last competition before the NCAA regionals begin.