Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Commence Championship Season at Conference Meet Sunday
10/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country & Track
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2014 Big Ten Championships Home Page
2014 Northwestern Cross Country Performance List 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After more than two months of training, Northwestern joins the rest of 14-team Big Ten Conference at the 2014 Big Ten Cross Country Championships hosted by the University of Iowa on Sunday (Nov. 2). The Wildcats are slated to toe the line of Iowa's Ashton Cross Country Course at 10:45 a.m. CT.
Head coach April Likhite has selected nine runners to represent the 'Cats in the 6K competition in Iowa City. They are:
Elena Barham, Jr.
Camille Blackman, Jr.
Megan O'Brien, Jr.
Andrea Ostenso, So.
Jena Pianin, So.
Ellen Schmitz, So.
Isabel Seidel, Fr.
Rachel Weathered, Jr.
Renee Wellman, Jr.
Ostenso led Northwestern in her debut at the Big Ten Championships in 2013, placing 40th overall in a time of 22:03, and also was NU's top finisher at the Big Ten Preview meet held on the same course the Wildcats will tackle on Sunday. Ostenso completed the Ashton Cross Country Course in 21:35 on the day and was followed across the line by Jena Pianin in 21:52.
Now a junior, Camille Blackman was Northwestern's second finisher at the conference championships a year ago and will look to again be near the front of the pack for the 'Cats.
Seidel is Northwestern's lone freshman in the lineup this season after strong efforts at both the 5K Notre Dame Invitational as well as the 6K Pre-Nationals Invite.
Northwestern has finished as high as seventh (out of 12 teams) in recent seasons and enters the weekend ranked No. 10 in the USTFCCCA Midwest Region. The Big Ten is enjoying a particularly strong season with five teams ranked in the top-20 nationally (No. 1 Michigan State, No. 4 Michigan, No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 19 Ohio State and No. 20 Minnesota) with Penn State also receiving votes in the most recent coaches' poll.
The Big Ten Network will air tape-delayed coverage of the 2014 Big Ten Cross Country Championships at 4 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
Fans interested in attending the event can purchase tickets in advance ($8 adults, $3 youth) or at the entrance to the event ($10 adults, $5 youth). More spectator information is available at HawkeyeSports.com.
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