JOPLIN, Mo. – The University of Northwestern Women's Cross Country team competed in the 5K at the NCCAA National Championship meet on Friday morning. Through the first two miles, Natalie Van De Riet (Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) and Emery Maki (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) held second and third place individually, with the Eagles sitting in second overall. Over the final mile, both seniors found another gear and, just as they did at the UMAC Championship Meet two weeks ago, the Eagles posted a one-two finish. This time, Van De Riet crossed the line first, followed closely by Maki. As a team, UNW finished second by 10 points, earning its second consecutive runner-up finish at the NCCAA Championship.
With the best individual finish in program history at the NCCAA Championship, Van De Riet won the race in 18:23.6, setting a new UNW program record by 2.4 seconds. Her performance surpassed Lou Brueberg's previous record of 18:26.0, which had stood since 2005. Maki also turned in a personal record of 18:37.2, improving from her previous best of 19:45.3. Her time now ranks fourth in program history. Together, the two seniors delivered one final memorable performance in an Eagles uniform.
Alicia Arredondo (Robbinsdale, Minn./Homeschool) placed 14th with a personal-best time of 19:29.2, dropping nearly two minutes from her previous best of 21:13.7. Her new mark ranks seventh in program history. The Eagles' final two scoring runners were Chloe Zimmerman (Helena, Mont./Capital) and Ellie Nelson (Redwood Falls, Minn./Redwood Valley), who finished 18th and 32nd, respectively. Zimmerman clocked a personal-best 19:43.7, improving from 21:12.3 and moving into ninth in program history. Nelson crossed the line in 20:32.3.
Cheyanne Scalese (Lancaster, Minn./Lancaster Public) finished just one second behind Nelson, taking 34th with a personal-best time of 20:33.3. Torah Barrett (Belle Plaine, Minn./Jordan) gained three positions over the final mile and finished 43rd in 21:01.9, shaving nearly 50 seconds off her previous 5K best. Kimberlyn Case (Sleepy Eye, Minn./Litchfield) and Samary Acuna (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) rounded out the Eagles' lineup, finishing 54th and 56th, respectively. Acuna also recorded a personal best of 21:49.8, improving from her previous mark of 23:06.2.
The impressive team performance brings the 2026 cross country season to a close and wraps up Patrick Fitzgerald's third season as head coach. With another NCCAA runner-up finish and several historic individual performances, the Eagles will look to carry their momentum into the 2027 season.
