Cross Country

DEKALB, Ill. – The Mount Mary cross country team headed to the campus of Northern Illinois University Friday night to take part in NIU's Huskie Open. Mount Mary overcame gusty winds and a hilly course to record very respectable times—just seconds off each individual's top 5-kilometer times.

The Blue Angels not only battled the elements Friday night, but also ran in their first co-ed race of the year against men and women from Bradley, Chicago State, Northwestern and Augustana. The race was also open to community members who wanted to face.

While no official team scores were taken, several individuals fared very well for Mount Mary. Senior Emily Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.) finished 18th among women and 33rd overall with a time of 19:58.85—just clipping the 20-minute mark for the second time this season.

Freshman Natalie Guyette (Shiocton, Wis.) notched a time of 22:22.58, beating out senior teammate Vanessa Schellinger (West Bend, Wis.) who recorded a time of 23:25.90 for second and third place among Blue Angels, respectively.

The late addition to the schedule, which was Mount Mary's second evening race of the season, served two purposes according to head coach Eugene Miranda.

"One was to see if our runners could set season-best times in a 5-kilometer race and the second was to have another race before the NCAA Regional meet," Miranda said. "With a one month gap between the Private Colleges Meet and the Regional, runners can lose some edge with no races in between."

The Blue Angels will finis their season next Saturday at the NCAA Midwest Regional, hosted by Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., at the Saukie Golf Course. Mount Mary took part in an earlier-season race on that same course, finishing in 32nd place against a field of Division I and Division II competition.