Szymanski leads Wildcats with ninth-place result
KENOSHA, Wis. – The Northern Michigan cross country team continued its surgical start to the season, placing 4th out of 23 teams at Saturday’s Lucian Rosa Invite in Wisconsin.
The Wildcats finished behind Adams State, Colorado School of Mines, and UC-Colorado Springs, all top-8 nationally ranked programs and perennial powerhouses on the national stage. Northern, currently receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA National Poll, placed ahead of several other nationally ranked teams, including CSU Pueblo (15th), Lee (12th), Minnesota State (24th), Cal Poly Pomona (26th), and Parkside (25th).
Senior Madi Szymanski led the Green and Gold with a 9th-place finish in a field of 207 runners, crossing the line in 21:37.1. Freshman Ashley Choponis wasn’t far behind, taking 18th in a personal-best 21:51.92.
Lamar Gordon (22:28.88) and Sophia Potter (22:32.57) also recorded career-best times, finishing 41st and 44th, respectively. Emma Sweeney ran a PR of 22:46.43 for 60th, while Dani Van Lente (22:57.11, 73rd) and Beverly Harper (23:08.30, 84th) rounded out the scoring lineup. Madalyn Agren also cracked the top 100, finishing 87th in 23:12.8.
Ella DeBruyn (23:43.22) and Celia Wallace (23:59.06) also represented Northern in the championship race.
In the open race, Maija Maki-Warne placed 2nd in 23:53.05, while Anya VanSweden finished 5th in 24:03.7.
With their third straight top-4 finish, each against nationally ranked competition, the Wildcats, ranked 6th in the Midwest and receiving votes in the National Poll, are poised to climb higher. Northern has not appeared inside the nation’s top 30 since October 2019.
