The Northern Illinois University cross country team kicked off their postseason schedule Saturday in Bowling Green, Ohio, at the Mid-American Conference Championship.
Despite placing two runners in the top 45, the Huskies finished in 11th place in the final team standings, beating out Ball State.
“Today was a disappointing finish,” said NIU head coach Greg Hipp. “I see our team train at a high level every day. We must learn to compete to our potential.”
Meghan Heuer led the NIU contingent on the course with a 37th place finish. The St. Charles, Ill., native crossed the finish line at 22:39.08 to beat out Ohio’s Kayla Scott. Only a few spots behind Heuer was Leah Raffety, who took 45th place at 23:02.42.
Third among the Huskie runners was Ali Olson. She placed 60th overall with a time of 23:22.84. Team captain Jamie Burr ran 23:34.88 to place 70th, while Claire McAuley closed out the NIU scoring with a 78th place finish at 23:52.52.
Juliane Totzke ran 23:56.89 to place 80th, followed by Carly Pederson in 88th at 24:13.32 and Hannah Savage in 98th at 24:32.84.
The Huskies return to competition Friday, when they host the second annual Huskie Open and Community Run. The 5K run starts at 4:30 p.m. and is free for all community members.
For more information on NIU cross country and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.