ST. PAUL, Minn. - Following the conclusion of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships last weekend, the conference has released its Women's Cross Country Awards. After claiming its first title since 2000, the University of Northwestern was, predictably, heavily featured. The Eagles boasted four First Team All-Conference runners and two on the Second Team, while Head Coach Patrick Fitzgerald was named Coach of the Year in just his second season at the helm. His squad also won the team Sportsmanship Award, reflecting the culture he has built, in addition to UNW's first championship team in 25 years.

The full UMAC press release can be found here.

Leading the way for Northwestern's four First Team All-Conference selections was Emery Maki (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing), who was named to the Second Team in 2024. The junior finished runner-up at the UMAC Championships with a personal-best time of 23:17.1. Joining Maki on the First Team was Natalie Van De Riet (Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville), whose UMAC Championships race was just the second of her first season as an Eagle. The junior made the most of it, finishing in fourth place with a PR time of 23:51.7. She was also selected as the team's representative on the All-Sportsmanship Team, an impressive feat for a transfer athlete. Also making the jump from 2024 Second Team to 2025 First Team was Isabelle Yuhanna (Ham Lake, Minn./North Lakes Academy), who claimed sixth place with a career-best 24:03.6. Caroline Ringsmuth (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove), the championship squad's only senior, earned her third-consecutive First Team honor and the fourth All-Conference nod of her career after taking seventh place with a personal-best 24:13.1 at the UMAC meet.

UNW also had two runners selected to the All-Conference Second Team. Newcomer Cheyanne Scalese (Lancaster, Minn./Lancaster Public) finished in 11th place with a PR of 24:27.6, while Alicia Arredondo (Robbinsdale, Minn./Homeschool) calimed 13th with a clocking of 24:56.3, also a career-low.

The Eagles will be competing in the NCCAA Cross Country National Championships on Friday, November 14th in Joplin, Missouri.

2025 UMAC Women's Cross Country Awards
 
Individual Champion: Ella Dufault, Crown
Rookie of the Year: Campbell Amundson, Bethany Lutheran
Coach of the Year: Patrick Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Team Sportsmanship: Northwestern
 
First-Team All-Conference

Ella Dufault	Crown
Emery Maki (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing)	Northwestern
Jemimah Habben	Martin Luther
Natalie Van De Riet (Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville)	Northwestern
Lindsey Morrison	Crown
Isabelle Yuhanna (Ham Lake, Minn./North Lakes Academy)	Northwestern
Caroline Ringsmuth (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove)	Northwestern
Campbell Amundson	Bethany Lutheran

 
 
Second-Team All-Conference

Sylvia Pesch	Minnesota Morris
Ruth Brueckner	Crown
Cheyanne Scalese (Lancaster, Minn./Lancaster Public)	Northwestern
Grace Hahm	Martin Luther
Alicia Arredondo (Robbinsdale, Minn./Homeschool)	Northwestern
Mia Arroyo	Crown
Callie Dufault	Crown
Olivia Stanley	Crown

 
 
All-Sportsmanship

Bethany Lutheran	Gracelyn Maleceu
Crown	Abbie Hough
Martin Luther	Alex Manning
Minnesota Morris	Ava Miller
North Central	Hope Naegelen
Northwestern	Natalie Van De Riet (Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville)
UW-Superior	Aubrey Peterson