Northwestern University Athletics
Saturday, November 22
Columbia, Mo.
9:20 a.m. CT
Northwestern
at
NCAA Championships
Photo by: Rey Del Rio/Northwestern Athletics
Strength In Numbers: ’Cats Prepare For NCAA Championships On Saturday
11/21/2025 9:30:00 AM | Women's Cross Country & Track
Women's championship 6k race set for 9:20 a.m. CT on ESPNU
EVANSTON, Ill. (November 21, 2025) - Following a sensational, record-setting season, No. 11 Northwestern cross country will compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday in Columbia, Mo.
The 'Cats will see action in the women's 6k championship race, slated to begin at 9:20 a.m. CT on the University of Missouri's Gans Creek Cross Country Course. ESPNU will provide live coverage. Saturday's race marks the fourth time in program history that Northwestern has appeared on the sport's biggest stage as a team.
"I know that we're going to execute, just like we have all year," head coach Jill Miller said. "I'm really excited to watch it in person. I know it's going to be really hard and really challenging for them, but I know they're ready to put themselves in position to move up as much as they can through that field and help each other out."
Northwestern punched its ticket to the national meet after securing a runner-up finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional, logging five finishers inside the top 20, with the entire quintet earning All-Region honors. The Wildcats' top five finished within an eight-second span.
Finishing together has been a theme all season, as Northwestern's top five runners at all six meets this season have invariably finished within thirty seconds of each other.
"To know that you have a group of people around you, it just gives you a lot of reassurance that no matter where you are on the course, you can do it, because your teammate right next to you is doing it too," senior Maddy Whitman said.
It has been a historic 2025 campaign for Northwestern. After kicking off the season with dominant wins at the Cowboy Preview and Big Ten Preview, the Wildcats earned a runner-up finish at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational, putting three runners in the top 10 amongst a field with seven ranked opponents.
Northwestern followed up its early-season success by shattering the program's record for best finish at the prestigious Nuttycombe Invitational, posting a fifth-place showing and topping 13 ranked opponents at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wis.
Graduate student Ava Earl, who boasts the most championship experience on the team, said the 'Cats treated the Nuttycombe Invitational as though it were a championship environment and got a feel for high-stakes racing. She feels that one of the squad's greatest strengths this year is their ability to compete together.
"We have proven our interchangeability to a new level within at least our top five, if not our top seven," Earl said. "We have raised the bar to a certain extent, and I think that's spoken to by our seven to nine runners we have racing."
Throughout this season, seven different runners have cracked the top-five scoring for Northwestern. Five of these runners — redshirt sophomore Ava Criniti, redshirt junior Skye Ellis, graduate student Anna Hightower, junior Jackie Holman and graduate student Holly Smith — have set 6k personal bests this season.
Off the course, team chemistry is at an all-time high.
"They know how to talk to each other, they know how to show up for each other, they know how to love each other, they know how to be hard on each other," Miller said. "Watching them connect as a group, know when to have fun, when to joke around, when to tell stories, and then when to lock in, that's what you want within a team."
The traveling Wildcats boarded the bus to Columbia early Thursday morning with a cohort of Northwestern student-athletes and administrators cheering them on.
As they take their positions on the line at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course on Saturday morning, the firing of the starting pistol will further cement what has been a historic season, one that saw Northwestern ascend to its highest ranking in program history.
"I want them to know how proud I am of them and how much I believe in them. They only need to be themselves out there," Miller said. "They know the race plan, they've executed every single time that we've gone out. This is a really special group, and I want to make sure that they reflect upon this experience with immense pride."
The 'Cats will see action in the women's 6k championship race, slated to begin at 9:20 a.m. CT on the University of Missouri's Gans Creek Cross Country Course. ESPNU will provide live coverage. Saturday's race marks the fourth time in program history that Northwestern has appeared on the sport's biggest stage as a team.
"I know that we're going to execute, just like we have all year," head coach Jill Miller said. "I'm really excited to watch it in person. I know it's going to be really hard and really challenging for them, but I know they're ready to put themselves in position to move up as much as they can through that field and help each other out."
Northwestern punched its ticket to the national meet after securing a runner-up finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional, logging five finishers inside the top 20, with the entire quintet earning All-Region honors. The Wildcats' top five finished within an eight-second span.
Finishing together has been a theme all season, as Northwestern's top five runners at all six meets this season have invariably finished within thirty seconds of each other.
"To know that you have a group of people around you, it just gives you a lot of reassurance that no matter where you are on the course, you can do it, because your teammate right next to you is doing it too," senior Maddy Whitman said.
It has been a historic 2025 campaign for Northwestern. After kicking off the season with dominant wins at the Cowboy Preview and Big Ten Preview, the Wildcats earned a runner-up finish at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational, putting three runners in the top 10 amongst a field with seven ranked opponents.
Northwestern followed up its early-season success by shattering the program's record for best finish at the prestigious Nuttycombe Invitational, posting a fifth-place showing and topping 13 ranked opponents at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wis.
Graduate student Ava Earl, who boasts the most championship experience on the team, said the 'Cats treated the Nuttycombe Invitational as though it were a championship environment and got a feel for high-stakes racing. She feels that one of the squad's greatest strengths this year is their ability to compete together.
"We have proven our interchangeability to a new level within at least our top five, if not our top seven," Earl said. "We have raised the bar to a certain extent, and I think that's spoken to by our seven to nine runners we have racing."
Throughout this season, seven different runners have cracked the top-five scoring for Northwestern. Five of these runners — redshirt sophomore Ava Criniti, redshirt junior Skye Ellis, graduate student Anna Hightower, junior Jackie Holman and graduate student Holly Smith — have set 6k personal bests this season.
Off the course, team chemistry is at an all-time high.
"They know how to talk to each other, they know how to show up for each other, they know how to love each other, they know how to be hard on each other," Miller said. "Watching them connect as a group, know when to have fun, when to joke around, when to tell stories, and then when to lock in, that's what you want within a team."
The traveling Wildcats boarded the bus to Columbia early Thursday morning with a cohort of Northwestern student-athletes and administrators cheering them on.
Wheels Up to NCAAs ??
— Northwestern Athletics (@NU_Sports) November 20, 2025
The 'Cats are headed to Columbia ?? pic.twitter.com/WeXPtfc9px
As they take their positions on the line at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course on Saturday morning, the firing of the starting pistol will further cement what has been a historic season, one that saw Northwestern ascend to its highest ranking in program history.
"I want them to know how proud I am of them and how much I believe in them. They only need to be themselves out there," Miller said. "They know the race plan, they've executed every single time that we've gone out. This is a really special group, and I want to make sure that they reflect upon this experience with immense pride."
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
/ Women's Cross Country & Track
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