Northwestern University Athletics
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Illinois Twilight
Four Top-6 Finishers Highlight 'Cats Day At Illinois Twilight
4/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country & Track
April 18, 2015
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- A 4-5-6 finish in the 1500m event highlighted the Wildcats performance at the Illinois Twilight Saturday on the campus of the University of Illinois. Sophomore Jena Pianin, senior Rachel Weathered and sophomore Andi Ostenso crossed the line within two seconds of one another to all secure Top-6 finishes in the race.
Following a weekend off from competition, Northwestern cross country returned to the track at the Illinois Twilight on Saturday evening. Wildcats competed in five different events at the Illinois Soccer & Track Stadium, among a field that included the hosts, Indiana, Bradley, Butler and DePaul.
The `Cats sewed up three of the Top-6 spots in the 1500m race with sophomore Jena Pianin, senior Rachel Weathered and sophomore Andi Ostenso crossing the line within two seconds of one another. Pianin earned fourth in 4:32.09, the best time for a Northwestern runner in the event this year. Weathered finished fifth at 4:33.28 while Ostenso was less than a second behind in sixth at 4:33.92.
All five Northwestern entrants in the 5000m race earned Top-20 finishes in a crowded field, led by Elena Miller in 13th at 17:59.0 and Ellen Schmitz right behind her in 14th with an official time of 18:01.83.
In the 3000m race junior Elena Barham finished sixth with a time of 10:11.68 and freshman Sara Coffey earned 10th in 10:32.53. In the Wildcats first steeplechase event of the season, sophomore Hanna Rose finished in the seventh spot.
Four `Cats are back in action this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (April 23-25) at the prestigious Drake Relays in Iowa. Andi Ostenso, Jena Pianin, Elena Barham and Isabel Seidel have all qualified for one of the top track & field events in the United States.
Ostenso, a sophomore, currently boasts NCAA qualifying times in both the 5000m and 10,000m event, while classmate Pianin is in position for qualification in the 5000m and Barham has posted a current qualifying time in the 10,000m.
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