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2014 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships Home Page
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The 2014 Northwestern Wildcats have been defined by consistent improvement since the start of the season, and on Friday the 'Cats will try to peak when it matters most at the 2014 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships hosted by Bradley University. This year's women's 6K race features teams from 13 different conferences and begins at Noon CT at Bradley's Newman Golf Course.
The top two finishing teams will receive automatic bids to the NCAA Championship in Terre Haute, Ind. on Nov. 22. The top four individuals not on a team selected for the NCAA Championship will also earn spots into the tournament.
Bradley University last hosted the Regional Championships in 2010, the same year in which then-sophomore and current Northwestern assistant coach Audrey Huth qualified as an individual for the national championships. Huth finished 17th in the individual stands and broke an NU 6K school record that had stood for nine years.
The eight runners traveling to Peoria are listed below, along with their class standing:
Elena Barham, Jr.
Camille Blackman, Jr.
Sara Coffey, Fr.
Andrea Ostenso, So.
Jena Pianin, So.
Isabel Seidel, Fr.
Renee Wellman, Jr.
Rachel Weathered, Jr. (Alternate)
The Wildcats have spent the last two weeks gearing up for this event after placing 10th among 14 squads at the Big Ten Championships, where sophomore Jena Pianin was in contention for All-Big Ten honors and ultimately placed 22nd in the individual standings. Pianin was among a host of Wildcats who earned personal-bests in Iowa City.
Head coach April Likhite guided her team to a program-best fourth-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regionals as recently as 2012. On Friday, Northwestern will attempt to surpass its No. 12 regional ranking entering the event. Iowa State has won the region each of the last four seasons and again comes into the championship meet as the favorite to claim the team title.
Results from Peoria will posted on NUsports.com and on the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships home page.