2020-21 Women's Cross Country Roster
McCardell, Rachel
Rachel McCardell
- Class:
- Junior
- High School:
- Seaholm
- Hometown:
- Bloomfield Village, Mich.
Bio
AWARDS AND HONORS:
*Program record
2022-23 (Cross Country): Ran a 20:30.6 6k at the Gans Creek Classic, good for a second-place finish (9/30) ... Finished fourth in her 6k at the Bradley Pink Classic with a personal best 20:11.5, helping Northwestern to a first-place team finish in the Red Race (10/14) ... Finished seventh at the Big Ten Championships and first among Wildcats with a time of 20:23.9, helping the 'Cats to their highest placement (5th) since 1986 (10/28) ... Led Wildcat runners to an NCAA Championship berth with an eighth-place finish at Midwest Regional (11/11) ... Finished first among NU runners at the NCAA Championships with a time of 20:43.3 (11/19). (Indoor): Finished first in the 3,000m at the Bob Eubanks Open with a 9:26.89 (1/14)...Placed first in the mile at the Blue Demon Invite with a personal best 4:40.76 (1/20) ... Ran a personal best and broke a program record with a 9:02.90 in the 3,000m at the Boston University Valentine Invite (2/11). (Outdoor): Broke the school record in 10,000m at the Raleigh Relays with a time of 33:52.32, a top-20 performance in the NCAA (3/25).
2021-22 (Cross Country): Opened senior year cross country season winning the Hawkeye Invitational 4k, recording a time of 13:43 (9/3) ... Won the ISU Redbird Invitational with a 6k time of 20:20 (9/17) ... Placed 13th in the Joe Piane Invitational 5k, recording a time of 16:33 (10/1) ... Placed 10th at the PSU National Open 6k, recording a time of 21:16 (10/15) ... Placed 5th at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships in a time of 20:45 (10/29) ... Placed 3rd at the NCAA Division I Midwest Region Cross Country Championships 6k, in a time of 20:49 (11/12) ... Competed at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, placing 82nd with a time of 20:24 (11/20). (Indoor): Won the 3000m at the St. Valentines Open in a time of 9:39 (2/18). (Outdoor): Raced a PB time of 16:22.66 in the 5000m at the 62nd Annual Mt. SAC Relays, placing 11th (4/16).
2020-21 (Cross Country): Finished 18th overall and first for the Cats' in the 6000M at the Big Ten Championship with a personal best time of 21:05.5 (1/30). (Indoor): Won the 3000M run with a time of 9:39.70 at the Hoosier Hills Invitational (2/6) ... Raced to a first place finish in the 5000M with a time of 16:34.41 at the Hawkeye B1G Invitational (2/13). (Outdoor): Placed 1st in the 1500m with a time of 4:32.38 and 3rd in the 5000m with a time of 17:20.83 at the ??Big Ten Invite #1 (4/26-27) ... Competed in the 5000m, 4x1600m and the DMR at the Fighting Illini Big Ten Relays. Placed 5th in the 5000m with a time of 16:35.88 and helped the team place 4th in the 4x1600m and 8th in the DMR (3/26-27) ... Won the 3000m at the Wisconsin Invitational in a PB time of 9:33.33 (4/8).
2019-20 (Cross Country): Finished 7th with a 5K time of 17:34.5 at the Illini Open (8/30) ... Placed 31st out of 131 runners at the Buckeye Preview (9/28) ... Placed 14th at Pre-Nationals with a 6k time of 21:24.3 (10/19) ... Recorded 6k time of 22:15.2 at Big Ten Championships (11/3) ... Paced the Wildcats with a time of 21:39.6 at the NCAA Midwest Regionals (11/15).
2018-2019 (Cross Country): Finished third in her first collegiate 5K with a time of 18:19.5 at the EIU Walt Crawford Open (8/31) ... Placed 15th in the Badger Classic with a 6km time of 23:15.9 (9/14) ... Cut 5km personal best by half a minute at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational (9/28) ... Clocked a 6km time of 21:51.8 at Wisconsin Pre Nationals (10/13) ... Placed 63rd at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships with a 6km time of 21:56.1 (10/28) ... Marked a personal best in the 6K at the NCAA Midwest Regional with a time of 21:43.7 (11/9). (Outdoor): Qualified for the USA Track and Field Junior Team with a seventh-place finish at the USATF Cross County Championships in Tallahassee, Florida (2/3) ... Recorded a 1500m time of 4:37.57 at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic (3/29) ... Finished third in the 800 and 1,500 meter behind two other Wildcats in the Benedictine Invitational to help the ‘Cats sweep both races (4/6) ...Competed at the Bryan Clay Invitational, recording a 1500m time of 4:34.90 (4/19).
WHY NORTHWESTERN?
Top-10 education, Big 10 conference athletics, proximity to Chicago = endless professional opportunities, my favorite color is purple, my favorite animals are big cats (go cats baby), Jill Ashley Miller = best coach/role model ever
GET TO KNOW RACHEL OFF THE COURSE:
What are you studying? Any career goals? BS Computer Science, Certificate in Managerial Analytics (Kellogg School of Management)
Favorite memory of Northwestern Cross Country? Convincing Hannah Hall freshman year that us Midwesterners pray to the corn Gods as part of an annual Midwestern holiday and thus inventing the NUXC tradition known as Harvest Day
What do you love about running? You get out of it what you put into it. There’s no way to fake your way to the top.
What hobbies do you enjoy? Proud mezzo soprano in Extreme Measures, one of Northwestern’s 14 a cappella groups. Campus tour guide.
- 2x First Team All-Big Ten (2021, '22)
- All-Midwest Region Honors (2022)
- Highest finish ever by an NU athlete at Midwest Regional (3rd place, 2022)
- 4x Academic All-Big Ten (2019, ‘20, ‘21, ‘22)
- USTFCCCA Academic All-American (2022)
- Big Ten Sportsmanship Award (2022)
- NCAA Championship Individual Qualifier (2021)
- Big Ten Athlete of the Week (9/22/21)
| PB’s | TIME | DATE |
| 800m (Outdoor) | 2:18.64 | 4/6/19 (Benedictine Invitational) |
| 1500m (Indoor) | 4:32.38 | 3/26/21 (Big Ten Invite #1) |
| 1500m (Outdoor) | 4:34.90 | 4/19/19 (Bryan Clay Invitational) |
| Mile (Indoor) | 4:40.76* | 1/20/23 (Blue Demon Alumni Classic) |
| 3000m (Indoor) | 9:02.90* | 2/11/23 (BU Valentine Invite) |
| 3000m (Outdoor) | 9:33.33* | 5/8/21 (Wisconsin B1G Invitational) |
| 5000m (Indoor) | 16:34.41 | 2/13/21 (Hawkeye B1G Invitational) |
| 5000m (Outdoor) | 15:50.78* | 4/14/23 (Bryan Clay Invitational) |
| 10,000m (Outdoor) | 33:52.32* | 3/25/23 (Raleigh Relays) |
| 4k (XC) | 13:43.0 | 9/3/21 (Hawkeye Invitational) |
| 5k (XC) | 16:33.3 | 10/1/21 (Joe Piane Invitational) |
| 6k (XC) | 20:11.5 | 10/14/22 (Bradley Pink Classic) |
2022-23 (Cross Country): Ran a 20:30.6 6k at the Gans Creek Classic, good for a second-place finish (9/30) ... Finished fourth in her 6k at the Bradley Pink Classic with a personal best 20:11.5, helping Northwestern to a first-place team finish in the Red Race (10/14) ... Finished seventh at the Big Ten Championships and first among Wildcats with a time of 20:23.9, helping the 'Cats to their highest placement (5th) since 1986 (10/28) ... Led Wildcat runners to an NCAA Championship berth with an eighth-place finish at Midwest Regional (11/11) ... Finished first among NU runners at the NCAA Championships with a time of 20:43.3 (11/19). (Indoor): Finished first in the 3,000m at the Bob Eubanks Open with a 9:26.89 (1/14)...Placed first in the mile at the Blue Demon Invite with a personal best 4:40.76 (1/20) ... Ran a personal best and broke a program record with a 9:02.90 in the 3,000m at the Boston University Valentine Invite (2/11). (Outdoor): Broke the school record in 10,000m at the Raleigh Relays with a time of 33:52.32, a top-20 performance in the NCAA (3/25).
2021-22 (Cross Country): Opened senior year cross country season winning the Hawkeye Invitational 4k, recording a time of 13:43 (9/3) ... Won the ISU Redbird Invitational with a 6k time of 20:20 (9/17) ... Placed 13th in the Joe Piane Invitational 5k, recording a time of 16:33 (10/1) ... Placed 10th at the PSU National Open 6k, recording a time of 21:16 (10/15) ... Placed 5th at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships in a time of 20:45 (10/29) ... Placed 3rd at the NCAA Division I Midwest Region Cross Country Championships 6k, in a time of 20:49 (11/12) ... Competed at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, placing 82nd with a time of 20:24 (11/20). (Indoor): Won the 3000m at the St. Valentines Open in a time of 9:39 (2/18). (Outdoor): Raced a PB time of 16:22.66 in the 5000m at the 62nd Annual Mt. SAC Relays, placing 11th (4/16).
2020-21 (Cross Country): Finished 18th overall and first for the Cats' in the 6000M at the Big Ten Championship with a personal best time of 21:05.5 (1/30). (Indoor): Won the 3000M run with a time of 9:39.70 at the Hoosier Hills Invitational (2/6) ... Raced to a first place finish in the 5000M with a time of 16:34.41 at the Hawkeye B1G Invitational (2/13). (Outdoor): Placed 1st in the 1500m with a time of 4:32.38 and 3rd in the 5000m with a time of 17:20.83 at the ??Big Ten Invite #1 (4/26-27) ... Competed in the 5000m, 4x1600m and the DMR at the Fighting Illini Big Ten Relays. Placed 5th in the 5000m with a time of 16:35.88 and helped the team place 4th in the 4x1600m and 8th in the DMR (3/26-27) ... Won the 3000m at the Wisconsin Invitational in a PB time of 9:33.33 (4/8).
2019-20 (Cross Country): Finished 7th with a 5K time of 17:34.5 at the Illini Open (8/30) ... Placed 31st out of 131 runners at the Buckeye Preview (9/28) ... Placed 14th at Pre-Nationals with a 6k time of 21:24.3 (10/19) ... Recorded 6k time of 22:15.2 at Big Ten Championships (11/3) ... Paced the Wildcats with a time of 21:39.6 at the NCAA Midwest Regionals (11/15).
2018-2019 (Cross Country): Finished third in her first collegiate 5K with a time of 18:19.5 at the EIU Walt Crawford Open (8/31) ... Placed 15th in the Badger Classic with a 6km time of 23:15.9 (9/14) ... Cut 5km personal best by half a minute at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational (9/28) ... Clocked a 6km time of 21:51.8 at Wisconsin Pre Nationals (10/13) ... Placed 63rd at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships with a 6km time of 21:56.1 (10/28) ... Marked a personal best in the 6K at the NCAA Midwest Regional with a time of 21:43.7 (11/9). (Outdoor): Qualified for the USA Track and Field Junior Team with a seventh-place finish at the USATF Cross County Championships in Tallahassee, Florida (2/3) ... Recorded a 1500m time of 4:37.57 at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic (3/29) ... Finished third in the 800 and 1,500 meter behind two other Wildcats in the Benedictine Invitational to help the ‘Cats sweep both races (4/6) ...Competed at the Bryan Clay Invitational, recording a 1500m time of 4:34.90 (4/19).
WHY NORTHWESTERN?
Top-10 education, Big 10 conference athletics, proximity to Chicago = endless professional opportunities, my favorite color is purple, my favorite animals are big cats (go cats baby), Jill Ashley Miller = best coach/role model ever
GET TO KNOW RACHEL OFF THE COURSE:
What are you studying? Any career goals? BS Computer Science, Certificate in Managerial Analytics (Kellogg School of Management)
Favorite memory of Northwestern Cross Country? Convincing Hannah Hall freshman year that us Midwesterners pray to the corn Gods as part of an annual Midwestern holiday and thus inventing the NUXC tradition known as Harvest Day
What do you love about running? You get out of it what you put into it. There’s no way to fake your way to the top.
What hobbies do you enjoy? Proud mezzo soprano in Extreme Measures, one of Northwestern’s 14 a cappella groups. Campus tour guide.
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