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‘Cats Put Pair On All-Region Team, Place Third At NCAA Midwest Regional‘Cats Put Pair On All-Region Team, Place Third At NCAA Midwest Regional
Charlie Neibergall/Northwestern Athletics

‘Cats Put Pair On All-Region Team, Place Third At NCAA Midwest Regional

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AMES, Iowa (November 13, 2026) – Ava Criniti and Skye Ellis secured United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region accolades, as No. 21 Northwestern cross country finished third overall this morning at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Ames, Iowa.

The Wildcats closed their stay at the Iowa State University Cross Country Course with a team score of 113 points to secure the fifth top-three regional finish of head coach Jill Miller’s Northwestern tenure. No. 25 Iowa State (72 points) and No. 8 Oklahoma State (91 points) topped the team standings, while Oklahoma State’s Billah Jepkirui (19:18.9) laid claim to individual medalist honors.

Criniti paced the Northwestern attack on a cool, late morning in Central Iowa. Just two weeks removed from earning First Team All-Big Ten distinction, the Lexington, Mass. native clocked the second-fastest 6k time of her career, racing through in 19:42.9 to place 11th overall and earn the second All-Region nod of her time as a Wildcat. Criniti’s time today fell just seven tenths of a second shy of her 6k personal best.

Like Criniti, Ellis followed up an All-Big Ten showing of her own with another outstanding performance on the way to securing her second consecutive All-Region selection. The Jan Juc, Australia product came in just seconds back of Criniti, racing through in a 6k personal-best 19:44.1. Ellis cleared her previous top 6k time, set at last season’s NCAA Championships, by over six seconds.

The pairing of Katie Clute and Cary Drake joined Criniti and Ellis inside the top 30. Clute, who, like Criniti, took home First Team All-Big Ten honors two weeks ago, finished 27th in 20:09.2, while Drake was one spot back in 28th at 20:11.9. Jackie Holman rounded out the Wildcats’ top five with a time of 20:20.4 to place 34th.  

Northwestern will now await its postseason fate, as it looks to receive an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. on Saturday, November 21. The full field for the national meet will be announced on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT on the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Selection Show on NCAA.com.