MARQUETTE, Mich. – From the Queen City of the north (Marquette, Michigan) to the Queen City of the south (Charlotte, North Carolina), the Northern Michigan cross country team will travel this weekend to compete at the Royals Challenge on October 10.

Coming off a strong fourth-place finish at the Lucian Rosa Invite in Wisconsin two weeks ago, the Northern Michigan cross country team is now ready to race in a new environment. The Royals Challenge, hosted by Queens University of Charlotte, will take place at 3:30 p.m. ET.

This will be the first time NMU has competed at the Royals Challenge. The course provides a new opportunity for NMU to showcase its talent on the national stage as the team travels across the country and looks to build on its exceptional start to the season.

The Northern Michigan cross country team is ranked in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Poll, coming in at No. 16. Last week, they were 15th and dropped one spot during their week off from action. They remain the fifth-ranked team in the Midwest Region.


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Follow @NMU_Track_Field and @NMU_Wildcats on X for updates leading up to and during the race.

Friday, October 10 – Royals Challenge at 3:30 p.m. ET
Live Results


A Word From Jenny Ryan
"It'll be a different race: a 5K that's shorter, on a fast course, and a unique opportunity. We'll go against a couple of the top teams in the Southeast region, including Wingate, ranked fifth in the country, and Catawba, ranked 28th."



Nationally Ranked
For the first time since October 2019, NMU is ranked in the USTFCCCA National Poll, entering this weekend at No. 16.

Headlined by back-to-back GLIAC Athlete of the Week Madi Szymanski, the Green and Gold have finished in the top four of all three meets so far this season. Szymanski has led NMU in each race, finishing fifth at both the Phoenix Open and Roy Griak Invite, followed by a ninth-place finish at last weekend's Lucian Rosa Invite.


Last Time Out
The Northern Michigan cross country team continued its strong start to the season, placing fourth out of 23 teams at the Lucian Rosa Invite in Wisconsin on September 27.

The Wildcats finished behind Adams State, Colorado School of Mines, and UC–Colorado Springs, all top-eight nationally ranked programs and perennial powerhouses. Northern, at the time receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA National Poll, placed ahead of several other nationally ranked teams, including CSU Pueblo (15th), Lee (12th), Minnesota State (24th), Cal Poly Pomona (26th), and Parkside (25th).

Senior Madi Szymanski led the Green and Gold with a ninth-place finish in a field of 207 runners, crossing the line in a time of 21:37.1. She was named the GLIAC Cross Country Athlete of the Week for the second consecutive week following her third top-10 finish of the season.

Freshman Ashley Choponis wasn't far behind taking 18th in a personal-best 21:51.92.

Lamar Gordon (22:28.88) and Sophia Potter (22:32.57) also recorded career-best times, finishing 41st and 44th, respectively. Emma Sweeney ran a PR of 22:46.43 for 60th, while Dani Van Lente (22:57.11, 73rd) and Beverly Harper (23:08.30, 84th) rounded out the counting scores. Madalyn Agren also cracked the top 100, finishing 87th in 23:12.8.

In the open race, Maija Maki-Warne placed second in 23:53.05, while Anya VanSweden finished fifth in 24:03.7.