Northwestern cross country is smashing records.
The ’Cats placed seventh at B1G Championships on Nov. 1, with five runners boasting personal records. The pack was led by Weinberg fourth-year Ava Earl, who beat her previous best by a whopping 32 seconds. Earl placed 14th with a time of 19:42.2 — just 29 seconds shy of the B1G record set by Oregon’s Silan Ayyildiz in the same race.
NCAA women’s cross country is approaching Week 6 of the season. Northwestern is currently ranked third in the Midwest Region after their impressive performance at B1G’s. Although they have not been nationally ranked since Week 1, the team has been on the verge of breaking into the top 30, receiving coaches’ votes every week since.
As a team, Northwestern has earned seventh place or higher at B1G’s every year since 2020. The ’Cats’ 2024 seventh place finish is even more impressive considering the addition of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington to the B1G for the 2024 season.
Oregon placed tenth at last year’s NCAA Championship, and they are currently ranked second nationally. Washington placed eighth at last year’s NCAA Championship, and they are currently ranked third nationally. Four other B1G teams are also ranked in the top 30. With six nationally ranked teams, the B1G has the second-most nationally ranked teams behind the ACC.
The ’Cats have performed well throughout the regular season, despite competing in one of the most challenging conferences in the country. This strong showing will prepare the ’Cats to take on their competitors in the Midwest Regionals this upcoming Friday, Nov. 15.
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