Sept. 27, 2007

EVANSTON, Ill.-- In the first true test of the 2007 season for the cross country team, Northwestern's top runners return to action with a week's rest at the adidas Invitational on Friday in South Bend, Ind.

"Competing in the Gold Race is a great advantage for us at this point," Likhite said. "Despite the absence of Allison King in our lineup, we have the talent and potential to be amongst the top teams in that race."

At the team's previous meet, the Forester Invite, NU placed fifth overall without the strength of its top runners, including Carly Brown (Kalispell, Mont./Flathead) and Celia Franklin (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier). In their place, the `Cats placed six runners in the top 35 overall, which was a charge led by freshman Maddie Rozwat (Hillsborough, Calif./Crystal Springs Uplands).

"After a weekend off from competition for some of our runners, we are excited to see the progression of several of our top runners," Likhite said. "This is an exciting meet for us in that we will be surrounded by some of the best cross country programs in the nation."

The last race in which the top runners ran was the Illinois Intercollegiates on Sept. 14. In the race, Franklin crossed the line first for the Wildcats, which was the first time this season that she has led the team. Both of the 'Cats previous two races ended with Brown in first.

Sophomore Paulina Garcia (Streamwood, Ill./Streamwood) has also run a strong season for the Wildcats thus far, finishing in third twice and in fourth on the team in the UIC Home Opener.

Following the adidas Invitational, NU gets two weeks off before the Bradley Invite on Oct. 12 at 5 p.m. in Peoria, Ill.