The women’s cross country team at Northern Michigan University stands shoulder to shoulder at the GLIAC Championships meet held in Grand Rapids on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of NMU)

GRAND RAPIDS — The women’s cross country team at Northern Michigan University showed why it’s a nationally ranked unit with a runner-up finish to powerhouse Grand Valley State at the GLIAC Championships held at the Calvin College course on Saturday.

The No. 15 Wildcats scored 80 points as national No. 2 GVSU had a perfect score of 15 with the meet’s top six finishers in an 11-school, 100-runner field.

Saginaw Valley State was third with 103 points, while Wayne State had 113, Michigan Tech 127, Wisconsin-Parkside 141, Ferris State 179, Lake Superior State 249, Purdue Northwest 252, Roosevelt 321 and Davenport 336.

“I am so proud of this team on the great season we have had so far,” Northern head coach Jenny Ryan said in an NMU Sports Information news release about the meet. “The results are a testament to the hard work everyone has put in and the positive atmosphere we have created.”

NMU slotted all five of its scoring runners in the top 30, led by senior Madi Szymanski in 10th place on the six-kilometer course (3.7 miles) in 21 minutes, 5.7 seconds. That kept her streak of top-10 finishes this season intact as she missed fifth place by a shade over 10 seconds and seventh by less than four seconds. It also earned her GLIAC First Team laurels.

Freshman phenom Ashley Choponis was the next Northern finisher in 16th place in 21:38.2, getting her GLIAC Second Team honors, while senior Emma Sweeney was 22nd in 21:56.8 and junior Lamar Gordon right behind her in 23rd in 21:57.4.

NMU’s fifth runner was senior Sophia Potter in 27th in 22:07.4, while providing insurance was No. 6 Dan VanLente, a junior, who was 34th in 22:23.9.

Also for the Wildcats, senior Beverly Harper was 37th in 22:31.6 and freshman Maija Maki-Warne, a Marquette Senior High School graduate, was 39th in 22:32.3.

Northern also had sophomore Madalyn Agren come in 56th in 22:57.0, sophomore and Ishpeming product Lola Korpi 60th in 23:06.1, sophomore Ella DeBruyn 72nd in 23:29.6 and sophomore Celia Wallace 78th in 23:51.6.

Senior Lauren Kiley led the GVSU contingent, winning the race in 20:18.2, about 11 seconds ahead of runner-up and senior teammate Abby VanderKooi.

The top finisher after the Lakers’ first six was Parkside sophomore Johanna Ebert, who was seventh in 21:01.9.

All that’s left for the Wildcat runners are NCAA Division II meets. The Midwest Regional Championship is Saturday, Nov. 8, and the NCAA Championships are two Saturdays later on Nov. 22, both to be held in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the home of GLIAC member Wisconsin-Parkside.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the meet. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.