April 24, 2009

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern freshman Sophie Ewald and junior Paulina Garcia were among the competitors at the most high-profile event in outdoor track and field this week, running in the 5K event at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. Ewald had one of her best races as a Wildcat, placing 18th out of 35 runners in a time of 16:52.37.

"Sophie ran an incredible race, not only for a freshman but for any runner in such a great event like the Penn Relays," said NU head coach April Likhite. "She raced smart and confidently and did exactly what she has shown us she can do based on her workouts."

Ewald's 5K time missed hitting the regional qualifying time by just 37 hundredths of a second.

Garcia also had a strong showing at the Penn Relays, leaving Philadelphia with a career-best 5K time of 18:19.20.

"I was extremely pleased with Paulina's performance as well as Sophie's," Likhite said. "It was great for these women to represent Northwestern Cross Country in the Penn Relays."

Jackie Aerson of Tennessee crossed first in the the College Women's 5,000-meter Championship in 16:11.71. Complete results are available at the official site of the Penn Relays.

Northwestern's competitive spring track schedule rolls on this weekend at the Marquette Twilight meet in Milwaukee, Wis.