JOPLIN, Mo. - The University of Northwestern Women's Cross Country team raced to a second-place finish at the NCCAA National Championships in Joplin on Friday morning. The result marks a major leap from last year's eighth-place team finish and is the best national championship placement for UNW Women's Cross Country.
The Eagles packed tightly at the front of the race, landing three runners inside the top 10 for All-American status and six runners inside the top 15, five of whom set new personal records.
Leading the way was Emery Maki (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing), who placed seventh with a 5K personal record of 19:45.3. It was just her third 5K of the season and her first since September 5. Her time not only beat her previous PR of 19:57.2 but also moved her to sixth all-time in program history. Because of her outstanding top-ten finish, she earned All-American honors for the first time in her career.
Right behind her, Isabelle Yuhanna (Ham Lake, Minn./North Lakes Academy) claimed ninth place with a time of 20:11.7, setting her own 5K PR, trimming four seconds off her previous mark. Caroline Ringsmuth (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) finished tenth in 20:19.5, less than a second off her PR set at last year's NCCAA Championships and marking her fastest race of the 2025 season. Both Yuhanna and Ringsmuth joined Maki as All-Americans for their finish in the event.
Alicia Arredondo (Robbinsdale, Minn./Homeschool) also had a breakout day, placing 12th with a 20:28.9 finish, crushing her previous PR of 21:13.7. Cheyanne Scalese (Lancaster, Minn./Lancaster Public) wasn't far behind, taking 14th with a 20:33.4 time, 3.1 seconds faster than her earlier-season personal record. Rounding out the Eagles' scorers was Natalie Van De Riet (Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) in 15th at 20:34.9, solidifying the team's front-of-pack dominance.
Additional strong performances came from Torah Barrett (Belle Plaine, Minn./Jordan), who ran a personal best time of 21:47.8, and Mariah Klippenes (South Haven, Minn./Annandale), who stopped the clock at 22:53.2.
With a historic second-place national finish and a list of personal bests across the board, the Eagles conclude the 2025 season in Patrick Fitzgerald's second season at the helm.
