MARQUETTE, Mich. – The No. 12-ranked Northern Michigan women's cross country team will make the trip from Marquette to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship on Saturday, Nov. 8.

The Wildcats are coming off a strong runner-up finish at the GLIAC Championships, placing behind national powerhouse Grand Valley State. It was NMU's best conference finish since 2017. Now, the Wildcats return to a familiar course, UW-Parkside's Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course, where they placed fourth of 23 teams earlier this fall at the Lucian Rosa Invite. Saturday's race is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET.

Northern enters the weekend ranked No. 12 nationally and fourth in the Midwest Region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), marking its highest national position this season. The top three teams in each region automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships, meaning the Wildcats will aim to secure a return trip to Kenosha for the national meet on Nov. 22.


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

Saturday, November 8th – at the Midwest Regional Cross Country Championship – 11 a.m. ET
Race Page


From the Coach
"We just had a great performance at conference, and now it's about training well, recovering, and sharpening up for regionals," head coach Jenny Ryan said. "Grand Valley's the top-ranked team in the country, so the standard is high. But we've been closing the gap, and I'm proud of how our group handled the pressure at conference. They went out, executed, and finished second after being ranked sixth early in the year. It shows how far we've come, and we're excited to see what we can do in Kenosha."



Last Time Out
Northern opened postseason competition with a second-place team finish at the GLIAC Championships, scoring 80 points to edge out Saginaw Valley State (103), Wayne State (113) and Michigan Tech (127). Five Wildcats placed inside the top 30, with four earning All-GLIAC honors.

First Team All-GLIAC standout Madi Szymanski led the way in 10th place (21:05.7), followed by freshman Ashley Choponis in 16th (21:38.2) to earn Second Team All-GLIAC honors in her debut conference race. Emma Sweeney (22nd, 21:56.8) and Lamar Gordon (23rd, 21:57.4) also secured Second Team honors, while Sophia Potter (27th, 22:07.4) rounded out NMU's scoring five.

Dani VanLente (34th, 22:23.9), Beverly Harper (37th, 22:31.6) and Maija Maki-Warne (39th, 22:33.2) provided critical depth, with Madalyn Agren (56th, 22:57.0) and Lola Korpi (60th, 23:06.1) rounding out the top 10 for the Wildcats.


Last Year at Regionals
Northern placed 11th of 27 teams at last year's Midwest Regional, marking its 15th consecutive top-15 finish in the region. The Wildcats made the biggest final-leg improvement of any team, climbing three spots in the closing stretch.