Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Looks Forward To Bright Future
6/4/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country & Track
June 4, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -- As Northwestern prepares for its 2008-09 cross-country campaign, head coach April Likhite looks for both her experienced leaders and young stars to shine bright. For one incoming freshman, a state championship last weekend certainly bodes well for a bright future.
After finishing 10th in the Big Ten Championships last fall, coach Likhite made a commitment to returning the program to the prominence it once enjoyed when she was at the helm 10 years ago. From 1998-2001, Likhite led the 'Cats to several successful conference finishes, and even a top 30 national ranking within just a three year span.
With the loss of four seniors, Likhite went out during the off-season and found the talent she hoped could accompany her returning veteran core. Now, with nine incoming runners to join the program this fall, seemingly all of the pieces may finally be coming together for the Wildcats.
"With a great deal of help from our current runners, we were able to solidify an exceptional recruiting class for the upcoming fall. I would say that this is the strongest incoming class to ever join the Northwestern cross-country program," said Likhite.
Last Saturday one of her incoming freshman, Rachel Kaminski (Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port), set a tone for the future by winning a Division I Wisconsin state track championship just a few months before joining the Wildcat family. As the seventh-seeded runner in the second heat of the 1600m, Kaminski ran a smart, strategic race before pulling away in the stretch. Her time of 5:06 was a new personal best and good enough to take home a state title. Kaminski set Bay Port High School records in both the 800m and 1600m events Saturday.
Likhite is thrilled to see the dedication from all of her runners in moving forward to the fall. "Adding another state champion runner to our roster in Rachel (Kaminski) will certainly be beneficial to our program. Not only did Rachel work hard all season to earn her accomplishments, but she ran an extremely smart race to come out number one last weekend," said Likhite. "The dedication and commitment made by both our current and future runners makes me very proud to be a part of this program."
