Cross Country Brings Full Lineup To Big Ten Preview

Friday, September 9

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Northwestern

Big Ten Preview

Photo by: Darren Miller

Cross Country Brings Full Lineup To Big Ten Preview

9/8/2022 4:10:00 PM | Women's Cross Country & Track

ANN ARBOR, Michigan – Northwestern cross country has an early-season opportunity Friday morning to test itself against top-tier competition at the Big Ten Preview (6K), hosted by the University of Michigan. The annual event gives Big Ten teams a look at the course that will host the Conference Championships in late October.

LIVE RESULTS – 2022 Big Ten Preview

The Wildcats kicked off the 2022 campaign at the NIU Huskie Invite with a limited roster but, despite several of head coach Jill Miller's fastest student-athletes on the sideline, swept the five scoring spots and had seven of the first eight runners across the finish line.

This week will be Miller's only opportunity of the fall season to run nearly her entire roster, against a field including Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers and the host Wolverines.

"This will be an excellent chance to test ourselves against several top-ranked squads, and evaluate a venue we'll see again later this season," Miller said. "We've had a really strong preseason, and I was extremely proud of how our women ran last week in DeKalb in the 2022 debut. With such a large roster competing, we'll employ several different race strategies throughout the group and I expect to learn a lot about our team."

Northwestern will be led by Rachel McCardell, who paced the team with a career-best fifth-place finish at the 2021 Big Ten Championships. She will be tested by a number of other top finishers from last year's premier event, including Erika VanderLende (2nd), Addie Engel (4th) and Kayla Windemuller (6th). The weekend will be a Mitten State homecoming for McCardell, a native of Bloomfield Village, as well as teammates Liz Bulat, Whitney Currie, Kayla Fortino, and Katherine Hessler.

The race also looks to be the Wildcats debut of highly-regarded transfer Ari Marks, who came to Evanston following a remarkably decorated career at Wellesley College. There Marks won the NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championship in both the 5,000 and 10,000M events, and was the national runner-up indoors in the 3,000 and 5,000.

Northwestern Entrants: Audrey Bannister, Kalea Bartolotto, Liz Bulat, Deepti Choudhury, Whitney Currie, Ava Earl, Skye Ellis, Kayla Fortino, Serena Frolli, Mallory Grubb, Hannah Hall, Katherine Hessler, Anna Hightower, Fiona Lenth, Ari Marks, Rachel McCardell, Mia Mraz, Olivia Verbeke, Addy Vettel, Maddy Whitman.