Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Husky Classic
Wildcats Climb Record Books at Husky Classic
2/11/2017 7:22:00 PM | Women's Cross Country & Track
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern was represented by three runners this weekend as they competed at the University of Washington in Seattle for the Husky Classic. The 'Cats participated in two events, the Women's Mile and the Women's 3000 meter, improving team and personal bests while gaining some valuable tactical indoor knowledge. "Any time we go out and hit a season-best or personal-best it's always a good meet," said Assistant Coach Austin Brobst.
Freshman Sarah Nicholson toed the line in purple for the 3000 meter race and ended up finishing 42nd overall with a time of 9:40.63. This time earned her another spot on the program's all-time Top 10 list for the event, just ahead of her previous-best -- her most recent performance at the Meyo Invitational (9:46.78 on Feb 4th, 2017).
"I was really focused on running consistently and making sure I hit about the same number of seconds every time hoping for a time around a 9:35.00. The race didn't really pan out like that because I've come down with a little bit of sickness and didn't feel great, but I'm still happy with the time I ran and I think I'll have a good chance next week whether I do the 3K or the mile," said Nicholson.
Running the mile for the 'Cats this time was Freshman Kelly O'Brien and Senior Jena Pianin. The duo placed 55th (4:56.03) and 68th (5:00.09) overall, respectively. "It was a good weekend for Kelly. She's gotten quite track savvy and in shape in terms of race tactics, so I think next weekend for her will be another good weekend over iat Notre Dame," said Coach Brobst.
This race marked the first indoor event for O'Brien, serving as a chance to get a feel for the tactical challenges of the indoor track while allowing her to notch the program's 4th best time for the event. By her side was Pianin, the school's all-time record holder in the event (4:49.81 on Feb. 13th, 2015). "The goal is always to put yourself in a good position, and it was good to get out there and race even though Kelly and I felt we could've gone out harder," said Pianin.
All of the work and small victories that the 'Cats are building now are gearing them up toward a larger goal. "They're really continuing to develop those race tactics so that when our outdoor season hits, they're on their game," said Coach Brobst.
Sarah Nicholson is in agreement with her coach that being track savvy is important for this team. "I think we all kind of learned how tactical endurance track can be. A lot of times something weird will happen, or the race can slow in the middle, or someone takes it out too fast and you realize that you really do need to pay attention because it goes by really quickly."
The next challenge for the Wildcats is coming up February 18th, when they head back to Champaign, Ill. for the Orange and Blue Open at the UI Armory, slated to kick off at 12:20pm CST.
