The Wildcats Women’s Cross Country team will get ready to lace up their running shoes in hopes to claim top status at the Midwest Regional meet. 

 The Wildcats competed in the GLIAC Championships on Saturday, Oct. 26, where they took home fifth place. Multiple NMU runners received Second Team All-GLIAC honors, including seniors Katelyn Smith and Hannah Torvi, and freshman Madison Malon. Smith paced the team with a 12th place time of 22:09.5, and Torvi wasn’t far behind with a time of 22:25.7 and a 19th place finish. Malon crossed the line in 22:28.8,  taking home 20th place.

“The team ran very fast and performed very well,” Head Coach Jenny Ryan said. “Even though we hoped to finish higher, fifth place was a solid result in this type of conference.” 

Ryan praised the top runners and their performances including 10 athletes who had the best personal record times, and she was also impressed with their accolades. 

“We are running fast and we still have a shot at finishing at the top at the Midwest Regional meet,” Ryan said.

With just over a week until the meet, Ryan said it’s all about focused preparation. 

“We will have a solid week of training this week, continuing to work on our pace and speed,” Ryan said. “Then we will taper down again next week, so we can be well rested and prepared for the regional meet.”

Ryan said that mental preparation will also be a big part of getting ready for the race, and that her team is hard working and excited to see what they can do at Midwest Regionals. 

The ‘Cats will compete at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, in Evansville, Indiana.