Roberts Earns Second Straight Trip To NCAA XC Championships

11/10/2017 4:30:00 PM | Women's Cross Country & Track

EVANSTON, Ill. –Aubrey Roberts is headed to her second straight NCAA Championships, after a fourth-place result at the NCAA Midwest Regional. The sophomore finished the 6K course at Iowa State in 20:16.7, the second consecutive season Roberts has finished Top-4 at Regionals.

2017 NCAA Midwest Regional - RESULTS
Iowa State Cross Country Course – COURSE MAP

Last season, her first collegiate campaign, Roberts became the first Northwestern runner to compete at the NCAA Championships since Audrey Huth qualified as an individual in 2010. She was one of just five true rookies competitors (men or women) to qualify as an individual for the NCAA National Championships.

Aubrey, Isabel and and Sarah all ran a really well-executed race," said head coach 'AHavahla Haynes. "The team looked great through 3K, we just weren't able to make the move when the pack started to go. We're extremely proud of Aubrey, who looked really good, hung back and waited for the right time to move. She's made an indelible mark on our program in her first two seasons, and it's exciting to consider her potential at the 2017 NCAA Championships and beyond."

Roberts was followed by juniorIsabel Seidel (20:56.1) and Sarah Nicholson (21:04.01) and then a tightly-packed trio of seniors Sara Coffey (21:52.5), Andrea Ostenso (21:56.8) and Haley Albers (21:58.8), and first-year student-athlete Hannah Tobin (22:16.4).

As a team, the Wildcats finished ninth with 301 points, the top Big Ten finisher, ahead of Conference peers Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois.

Roberts will repsented Northwestern next Saturday, November 18, at the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships, hosted by the University of Louisville.