Wildcats Race to Second-Place Finish at Badger Classic

9/14/2018 3:57:00 PM | Women's Cross Country & Track

Badger Classic Results (PDF)

The ‘Cats had five runners finish in the top 10 in the 6K race

By: Emily Iannaconi

Madison, Wis. – The Wildcats had five women finish in the top 10 to earn a second-place finish on the Zimmer Championships Course at the Badger Classic in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday afternoon.

In her first race of the 2018 campaign, junior Aubrey Roberts carried the momentum from her record-setting sophomore year into the meet with a second-place finish. The top-finisher for the Wildcats in every race she ran last year crossed the line in 21:14.1. Junior Sarah Nicholson was not far behind with a fifth-place finish of 21:39.9. They were two of only five runners of the 41 present who completed the championship course in under 22 minutes.

Head coach 'AHavahla Haynes knew the race was important preparation for the team as it will be back on the same course for the Pre-NCAA Invitational in October.

"We executed our plan to bookend the race with our fastest kilometers being the first 1k and 5k to 6k," said Haynes. "In doing so it gave our top seven the confidence to return and be competitive in a 300-plus person race in October."

Junior Kelly O'Brien, first-year Sielle Kearney and senior Isabel Seidel rounded out the top-five scorers for NU as each finished within less than 10 seconds of each other. O'Brien finished the race in 22:46.6. In her first collegiate 6K, Kearney was the first first-year to cross the line at 22:49.6. Seidel completed the race in 22:54.2.

O'Brien and Kearney swept first and second place at the EIU Walt Crawford Open on August 31, therefore marking the second time this season and the second time in a row that the two have finished in the top 10.

First-years Rachel McCardell and Vanessa Garcia also raced in the first 6K of their college careers on Friday afternoon.

Northwestern finished with 32 points, just nine behind first-place Wisconsin. The 'Cats bested Marquette on the 6K course, who finished with 81 points.

The 'Cats return to action when they travel to South Bend, Indiana for the Notre Dame Invitational on Friday, September 28 at 3 p.m. CT.

Badger Classic Results (6K)
Aubrey Roberts (2) – 21:14.1
Sarah Nicholson (5) – 21:39.9
Kelly O'Brien (7) – 22:46.6
Sielle Kearney (8) – 22:49.6
Isabel Seidel (10) – 22:54.2
Jazmine Reyes (11) – 23:07.5
Rachel McCardell (13) – 23:15.9
Vanessa Garcia (21) – 24:00.2
Amanda Davis (24) – 24:19.2
Mary Orders (39) – 26:14.7
Mackenzie Wilson (41) – 28:37.3