Fresh off its first trip to the NCAA Championship since 2002, Northwestern cross country has finally hit the grass. The ‘Cats kicked off their season with the Flyers Flames Challenge in nearby Romeoville on Sept. 1 before facing Big Ten competition in Madison at last Saturday’s Badger Classic.
The first meet, expectedly, ended in a resounding Northwestern win. As a tune-up for some bigger races down the line, the ‘Cats raced seven other smaller schools from around the area. Chicago State and UIC were the only other Division I teams at the meet, and the Flames finished 27th of 33 teams at last year’s Midwest Regional, while Northwestern placed second.