Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Midwest Regional Championships
Wildcats Are Headed to NCAA Championships
11/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country & Track
Nov. 16, 2002
NORMAL, Ill. - For the Northwestern women's cross country team, the most nerve-racking time of Saturday's Midwest Regional Championships was not before the race. And it certainly wasn't during the race.
Instead, a lengthy post-race wait left the Wildcats hanging in the wind as they hung around waiting to find out whether their fantastic team effort had been enough to clinch second place and an automatic berth into the NCAA Championships.
Missouri had clinched first place, of that everyone was sure. The Tigers scored 63 points and clearly distanced themselves from the rest of the 23-team field. The other sure thing was that second place was going to be tight, as the numbers were close between NU, Southwest Missouri State and Bradley.
When the final tally finally came to light -- nearly 45 minutes after the conclusion of the race -- head coach Amy Tush brought her team together and broke the news.
Northwestern had scored 139 points. Southwest Missouri State had scored 145 points. Bradley, 153.
The Wildcats were in.
"My first thoughts were, 'finally, all of the last four years have paid off,'" said Rachel Evjen (Eau Claire, Wis./North), one of four seniors who have been the backbone of this program since they set foot on campus in 1999. "It was an incredible feeling."
"It was so satisfying to be able to give them the news," said Tush. "I was on a team at Indiana State that missed an NCAA bid by one point, and these women were on the other side in 2000. To be able to finally get over the hump and get the automatic bid is extremely exciting."
The news punctuated a superb day for the Wildcats -- of the seven women who ran for Northwestern, five had personal bests for a 6-kilometer race.
"The women executed exactly like we've been trying to do all year," said Tush. "They ran every kilometer like it was their last. We just ran great as an entire team, there's no way to single out one person."
Indeed, several efforts stood out, but Evjen again led the way. The senior -- who ran as an individual at the 2000 NCAA Championships -- finished seventh overall and shattered her own school 6K record by more than 20 seconds at 20:52.28.
That set the tone for the day. Senior Laura Evans (Christiansburg, Va./Christiansburg), an All-District pick in 2000 who missed last year to injury, placed 20th in a personal-best 21:30.58, while sophomore Diana Hossfeld (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona Del Mar) was right on her heels and finished 22nd in 21:32.32. Evjen, Evans and Hossfeld all earned All-District as a result.
"It was exciting to finish up, see my teammates coming up behind me, and see all the excited faces," said Evjen. "Everyone knew we had run well as a team, and it was an amazing thing to see everyone so excited as they came in."
Senior Nicole Kuznia (Olivia, Minn./BOLD) was next across the finish line for NU, placing 37th in 21:47.68, and junior Emily Blakeslee (Rockford, Mich./Rockford) closed out the Wildcats' scorers by finishing 53rd overall in 22:08.78.
Senior Karen Rogers (58th in 22:14.37) and sophomore Kyna Forkins (66th in a personal-best 22:20.62) were NU's other runners on Saturday.
"I was excited at the end of the race because the women ran so well," said Tush. "We knew we had raced well, and it wasn't going to matter to me where we stood in the standings. I was so proud of our team."
Next up is the NCAA Championships, which will take place Monday, Nov. 25, in Terre Haute, Ind.
"I'm looking forward to going with my teammates," said Evjen. "Going as a team is so much better than running as an individual...we train every day with each other, and so to be able to share the experience will be amazing."
"The NCAA's will be an opportunity that our women will remember for the rest of their lives," said Tush. "This is why we do this -- to compete at the highest level. And now we'll get a chance to do it. I can't wait to get there next week."
Click here for complete results from today's Midwest Regional.
