The last time Northwestern made an appearance in the Big Ten Outdoor Championships was in 1986 — when Carol Boyd Earls finished sixth in the 5,000m run.
38 years later, in Lincoln, Neb., the Wildcats made their highly-anticipated return to the Big Ten outdoor postseason and left with some podium finishes, courtesy of first-year Cary Drake and junior Skye Ellis, who were responsible for Northwestern’s six points and 17th place finish. Oregon took home the championship with 110 points, while Illinois
followed with 92 and USC rounded out the top three with 90.
Drake was the star of NU’s return, entering the weekend ranked second in the Big Ten in the 3,000m steeplechase and delivered in said event on Saturday afternoon. Just two weeks removed from shattering her personal best by 25 seconds, the Maine native finished fifth with a time of 10:14.89, propelled by a stellar 1:15.74 final lap.
The heat didn’t do Drake any favors, as temperatures climbed into the low 90s over the weekend. Nonetheless, she persevered with one of her best performances of the season, as did Ellis, who placed third in her heat on Friday with a 4:24.06 that earned her an automatic berth to the final. She went on to best herself on Sunday, crossing with a time of 4:23.08 to wrap up her weekend.
A weather delay preceded Friday’s 10,000m run finals, but junior Jackie Holman and senior Mia Mraz were ready once competition resumed. Holman finished 13th, clocking in with a time of 35:28.08 while Mraz finished 16th – 12 seconds behind her junior counterpart.
First-year Olivia Capala added yet another notch on her belt in the 800m, breaking her own program record on Saturday with a 2:08.23 in the final preliminary heat of the afternoon For the New Jersey native, it was her third consecutive meet logging a PR, finishing a second faster than her previous record.
Sophomore Ava Criniti and graduate Anna Hightower wrapped up the weekend in the 5,000m run final on Sunday, with the two finishing within four seconds of one another. The duo finished 13th and 14th with respective times of 17:18.54 and 17:22.09.
Northwestern continues postseason competition as it heads south to Fayetteville, Ark. for the NCAA West Preliminary held between May 27-30.
