Jenny Ryan Head Coach | Northern Michigan University Athletics Website
Jenny Ryan Head Coach | Northern Michigan University Athletics Website
The Northern Michigan University women's cross country team, ranked No. 12 nationally, is set to compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship on Saturday, November 8, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The event will take place at UW-Parkside's Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course.
This follows the Wildcats' recent runner-up finish at the GLIAC Championships, their best performance in the conference since 2017. At that meet, they finished behind Grand Valley State and ahead of Saginaw Valley State, Wayne State, and Michigan Tech. Five NMU runners placed within the top 30 and four earned All-GLIAC honors.
Madi Szymanski led the team with a 10th-place finish (21:05.7), earning First Team All-GLIAC honors. Freshman Ashley Choponis was next for NMU in 16th place (21:38.2), securing Second Team recognition in her first conference appearance. Emma Sweeney (22nd), Lamar Gordon (23rd), and Sophia Potter (27th) completed NMU’s scoring five.
Head coach Jenny Ryan commented on the team's progress following their GLIAC performance: "We just had a great performance at conference, and now it's about training well, recovering, and sharpening up for regionals," Ryan said. "Grand Valley's the top-ranked team in the country, so the standard is high. But we've been closing the gap, and I'm proud of how our group handled the pressure at conference. They went out, executed, and finished second after being ranked sixth early in the year. It shows how far we've come, and we're excited to see what we can do in Kenosha."
The Wildcats previously raced on this course earlier this fall during the Lucian Rosa Invite where they finished fourth among 23 teams.
Northern Michigan enters regionals ranked fourth in its region by U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Only three teams from each region automatically advance to nationals; therefore NMU will be aiming for a qualifying position to return to Kenosha for NCAA Championships on November 22.
Last year at Midwest Regionals, NMU placed 11th out of 27 teams—marking their fifteenth consecutive top-15 regional finish—with Madi Szymanski leading in 40th place.
Fans can follow updates before and during Saturday’s race through @NMU_Track_Field and @NMU_Wildcats on X.
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