Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, November 12
Iowa City, IA
Northwestern
at
NCAA Regional Championship
'Cats Show Out at Midwest Regionals, McCardell Qualifies for NCAA Championship
11/12/2021 1:10:00 PM | Women's Cross Country & Track
FULL RESULTS
IOWA CITY, IOWA In 2019—the last championship prior to the COVID-19 pandemic—Northwestern finished 13th out of 33 teams at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships. Two years later, the 'Cats returned with a vengeance to claim fourth place overall at the meet in Iowa City, Iowa on Friday.
Battling snow and 30-degree temperatures at the Ashton Cross Country Course, the 'Cats scored 169 points to finish Top-Four in a pack of nationally-ranked programs. In the team standings, No. 5 Minnesota won the title with 45 points, No. 6 Oklahoma State finished second with 75 points, and No. 13 Iowa State placed third with 81 points. Northwestern's team score tallied the program's best finish since 2001 and edged out in-state rival Illinois by 23 points.
The squad was led by a third-place individual finish from Rachel McCardell, who qualified as an individual to represent Northwestern at the upcoming NCAA Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, on Nov. 20. The junior's finish was a massive improvement on her 36th-place showing at the meet in 2019.
The team ran according to head coach Jill Miller's plan throughout all of the major splits in the race. McCardell and graduate student Lotte van der Pol led the charge up front and held their positions through the finish with van der Pol kicking to place 15th overall in her first-ever NCAA regional meet.
The duo of Kalea Bartolotto and Olivia Verbeke ran as a pack just a few places behind NU' toop runners. In her sophomore season, Bartolotto fought for a 33rd-place finish. The day after Verbeke turned 22, the junior claimed 42nd place.
In her debut at the regional meet, first year Maggie Mason rounded out the Wildcats' team score by finishing 77th overall.
Despite losing her shoe just after the 1,000-meter mark, senior Amanda Mosborg held on for an 88th-place showing. First year Fiona Lenth ran tough as well after getting spiked by another competitor early on in the race. She finished 126th in her debut at the championships.
"This team went out and executed our race plan beautifully, but more important than that is how they battled over the last 2,000 meters," said Miller. "I can't put into words how much this team has grown and I'm just so grateful for the trust they have put in our coaching staff and commitment they have made to the process."
The top two teams from the nine regional meets happening around the country on Friday will automatically advance to the NCAA Cross Country Championships next week. The remaining 13 at-large teams will be selected by the NCAA Division I Cross Country sub-committee during an NCAA selection show on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT. After the 31 teams have been determined, 40 additional individuals per gender will be selected to compete based on their finish at the regional championships (38 are automatic selections; two are at-large).
Catch McCardell compete in her first-ever NCAA Cross Country Championships by watching the meet live on ESPNU at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 20.
IOWA CITY, IOWA In 2019—the last championship prior to the COVID-19 pandemic—Northwestern finished 13th out of 33 teams at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships. Two years later, the 'Cats returned with a vengeance to claim fourth place overall at the meet in Iowa City, Iowa on Friday.
Battling snow and 30-degree temperatures at the Ashton Cross Country Course, the 'Cats scored 169 points to finish Top-Four in a pack of nationally-ranked programs. In the team standings, No. 5 Minnesota won the title with 45 points, No. 6 Oklahoma State finished second with 75 points, and No. 13 Iowa State placed third with 81 points. Northwestern's team score tallied the program's best finish since 2001 and edged out in-state rival Illinois by 23 points.
The squad was led by a third-place individual finish from Rachel McCardell, who qualified as an individual to represent Northwestern at the upcoming NCAA Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, on Nov. 20. The junior's finish was a massive improvement on her 36th-place showing at the meet in 2019.
The team ran according to head coach Jill Miller's plan throughout all of the major splits in the race. McCardell and graduate student Lotte van der Pol led the charge up front and held their positions through the finish with van der Pol kicking to place 15th overall in her first-ever NCAA regional meet.
The duo of Kalea Bartolotto and Olivia Verbeke ran as a pack just a few places behind NU' toop runners. In her sophomore season, Bartolotto fought for a 33rd-place finish. The day after Verbeke turned 22, the junior claimed 42nd place.
In her debut at the regional meet, first year Maggie Mason rounded out the Wildcats' team score by finishing 77th overall.
Despite losing her shoe just after the 1,000-meter mark, senior Amanda Mosborg held on for an 88th-place showing. First year Fiona Lenth ran tough as well after getting spiked by another competitor early on in the race. She finished 126th in her debut at the championships.
"This team went out and executed our race plan beautifully, but more important than that is how they battled over the last 2,000 meters," said Miller. "I can't put into words how much this team has grown and I'm just so grateful for the trust they have put in our coaching staff and commitment they have made to the process."
The top two teams from the nine regional meets happening around the country on Friday will automatically advance to the NCAA Cross Country Championships next week. The remaining 13 at-large teams will be selected by the NCAA Division I Cross Country sub-committee during an NCAA selection show on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT. After the 31 teams have been determined, 40 additional individuals per gender will be selected to compete based on their finish at the regional championships (38 are automatic selections; two are at-large).
Catch McCardell compete in her first-ever NCAA Cross Country Championships by watching the meet live on ESPNU at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country & Track
/ Women's Cross Country & Track
/ Women's Cross Country & Track
/ Women's Cross Country & Track
/ Women's Cross Country & Track
/ Women's Cross Country & Track
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