MARQUETTE, Mich. – With one regular-season meet in the books, the Northern Michigan women's cross country team will now head to the University of Minnesota on Friday, September 18, for the Roy Griak Invitational, one of the premier collegiate cross country races of the season.
Different from years past, the Wildcats will run alongside other Division I schools along with other Division II teams in one big race. The Suzy Collins College 6K race will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET.
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Follow @NMU_Track_Field and @NMU_Wildcats on X for updates leading up to and during the race.
A Word From Jenny Ryan
"It went really well for the first week. We had three right in the top six, which is really exciting. It will be interesting running with really good DI and DII teams, and I'm excited to see where we're at against them."
Last Time Out
NMU opened the 2026 season at the Phoenix Open, placing second among seven teams with 50 points. Junior
Ella DeBruyn led the Wildcats across the finish line in fourth place at 22:46.9, shattering her previous personal best by more than 40 seconds.
Ashley Choponis followed closely in fifth at 22:49.9, while
Lamar Gordon rounded out Northern's trio of top-six finishers in sixth at 22:51.7.
Lola Korpi added a 12th-place finish in 23:13.0, while Dani VanLente (23:52.6) and
Anya VanSweden (23:53.2) placed 26th and 27th, respectively. Freshman
Addison Jones made her collegiate debut as Northern's fifth scorer, finishing 31st in 23:54.6.
The Wildcats placed five runners inside the top 20 and six inside the top 30, finishing comfortably ahead of third-place UW-Stevens Point (121 points). St. Thomas won the team title with 28 points, led by individual champion Olivia Pauley (22:18.3).
Season Outlook
Northern was picked to finish second in the 2026 GLIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, earning 85 points. Grand Valley State took the top spot with 100 points and 10 first-place votes, while Michigan Tech received the other first-place vote.
The Wildcats enter the season under head coach
Jenny Ryan, who was named the 2025-26 NMU Coach of the Year after guiding Northern to its first NCAA Championships team appearance since 2017.
Northern returns several key contributors from last season, including the three top finishers in week one: sophomore
Ashley Choponis, junior
Ella DeBruyn, and senior
Lamar Gordon.
Choponis made an immediate impact during her freshman campaign, establishing herself as Northern's No. 2 runner throughout the season. She finished 16th at the GLIAC Championships in 21:38.2 to earn Second Team All-GLIAC honors before placing 20th at the NCAA Midwest Regional in 21:41.78 to earn All-Region recognition. She went on to compete at the NCAA Championships, helping the Wildcats finish 24th nationally.
Gordon also returns after earning All-GLIAC recognition last season and will look to build on that success. DeBruyn enters her junior season after competing in five meets during her sophomore campaign. She placed 72nd at the GLIAC Championships with a season-best time of 23:29.6 and led the Wildcats in their Wildcat Open exhibition on August 21.
Choponis, Gordon and DeBruyn headline a group of 25 Wildcats looking to build on last season's success. The group features 10 freshmen, four sophomores, eight juniors and three seniors.
