Pair Of 'Cats Wins Highlight Strong Start To Indoor Track Season

1/13/2018 5:50:00 PM | Women's Cross Country & Track

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Led by a 1-2-3 finish in the 3000M race, and Sara Coffey's victory in the 1-Mile event, the Wildcats opened the indoor track season with an outstanding performance at the Illinois Open on Saturday.

2018 Illinois Open - RESULTS

Coffey, a senior from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, kicked off the final indoor campaign of her Northwestern career with her first victory, a 5:05.18 performance in the 1-Mile. She edged the runner-up by less than a second to cross the line first in a 24-woman field.

The Wildcats dominated the 3000M event later in the afternoon, with sophomore Aubrey Roberts and seniors Isabel Seidel and Andrea Ostenso taking control of the field and never looking back. Roberts carried her momentum from a strong cross-country season onto the track, winning the race with a time of 9:47.72. Seidel, who won this event at the same competition last winter, finished just behind her at 9:48.21. Ostenso, the school record holder in the event, rounded out the Top-3 with a time of 9:56.07, more than ten seconds ahead of the fourth-place finisher. Hannah Tobin and Amanda Davis turned in strong performances in their collegiate indoor track debuts, with both finishing in the Top-15.

The event welcomed 11 programs on Saturday afternoon, including seven from within the state of Illinois. In addition to the 'Cats and the hosts from Champaign, Southern Illinois, DePaul, Bradley, SIU-Edwardsville, Northern Illinois (women) and Eastern Illinois represent the Land of Lincoln, while Butler, Saint Louis and Southeastern Missouri State rounded out the teams from outside state borders.

1-Mile:
(1) Sara Coffey – 5:05.18

3000M:
(1) Aubrey Roberts – 9:47.72
(2) Isabel Seidel – 9:48.21
(3) Andrea Ostenso – 9:56.07
(13) Hannah Tobin – 10:28.63
(15) Amanda Davis – 10:30.85
(32) Haley Albers – 11:04.53

800M:
(19) MacKenzie Wilson – 2:49.99

The Wildcats return to competition on February 2 in South Bend, at the Meyo Invitational hosted by Notre Dame, before heading west to Seattle the following weekend for the Husky Classic at the University of Washington.