WINTHROP, Minn. - At the UMAC Championship Meet on Saturday, the University of Northwestern Women's Cross Country Team finished second overall, just three points behind Crown in a reversal of last year's results. Individually, UNW had the top two finishers in the 6K: Emery Maki (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) and Natalie Van De Riet (Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville). The seniors battled neck and neck throughout the race, with Maki pulling away for the win by two seconds. Maki turned in a PR while also claiming the second-fastest time in Northwestern program history.
Maki led for the majority of the race, digging deep as she capped off her final UMAC Championship in a Northwestern uniform. She crossed the finish line with a personal-best time of 23:04.8, earning the individual championship for the first time in her career. With the win, she was named First-Team All-Conference for the second time in her career. Just two seconds behind her, Van De Riet clocked a 23:06.6 finish, also earning First-Team All-Conference honors.
Alicia Arredondo (Robbinsdale, Minn./Homeschool) placed 10th with a personal-best time of 24:36.0. Chloe Zimmerman (Helena, Mont./Capital) and Cheyanne Scalese (Lancaster, Minn./Lancaster Public) followed closely in 13th and 15th place, with times of 25:01.9 and 25:21.2, respectively. All three runners earned UMAC Second-Team All-Conference honors.
Torah Barrett (Belle Plaine, Minn./Jordan) raced hard to an 18th-place finish, narrowly missing All-Conference honors but collecting a new personal best of 25:52.3. She shaved nearly 30 seconds off her previous best. Ellie Nelson (Redwood Falls, Minn./Redwood Valley) crossed the finish line next in 19th place with a time of 26:04.7, while Kimberlyn Case (Sleepy Eye, Minn./Litchfield) finished 24th in 26:50.8.
Samary Acuna (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley), Mariah Klippenes (South Haven, Minn./Annandale), and Grace Steele (Shafer, Minn./Chisago Lakes) finished in 29th, 34th, and 36th place, respectively, with times of 27:21.3, 27:52.6, and 28:00.6.
The final five Northwestern runners were Kaylee Kent (Hugo, Minn./Homeschool), Faith Matvey (Meadowlands, Minn./Lakeview Christian Academy), Olivia Usselman (Stillwater, Minn./Math and Science Academy), Kennedy Van De Riet (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville), and Claire Nelsen (Elkton, Minn./Southland). Kent recorded a time of 28:57.5 in her first UMAC Championship appearance. Matvey followed with a time of 29:34.0, while Usselman clocked a 29:51.1. Sophomore Van De Riet dropped nearly 45 seconds off her previous best, finishing with a personal-best time of 30:18.3. Nelsen rounded out the Eagles with a time of 32:47.7 in her first UMAC Championship appearance.
UNW will now travel to Joplin, Missouri, for the NCCAA National Championships on November 13, where the Eagles will conclude their 2026 cross country season.
