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Julie Holland

Women's Cross Country

Norse Cross Country Prepared for #HLXC Championships

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University Norse cross country heads to the Horizon League Championships on Saturday in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

It'll be a special meet for head coach Steve Kruse, who announced his intent to retire before the 2025-26 season. "For me, it doesn't feel like the end with track season coming up, but cross has always been special," said Kruse. "If the teams do well, if we can get some all-conference accolades, it'll be a better van ride home."

The Norse men have had a strong pair of meets heading into the Championship, including 8K personal records set by Northern Kentucky's top-two runners, Colton O'Hara and Natnael Weldemichael. O'Hara ran a 24:15.2 at the Louisville Cross Country Classic on October 4, while Weldemichael ran a 24:17.6 at the Angel Mounds Invitational in NKU's last go-around. 

"It's been great coaching them (O'Hara and Weldemichael)," said head coach Steve Kruse. "When you have one stud, they just kind of do it on their own; it can be hard to be paced. But having another guy there, including Stetson (Childress), Jacob (Line), and Nathan (Ruth), this whole cluster of guys that get after it in practice, it takes the pressure off the top guys, and allows us to do different strategies. It's been a coach's dream."

Weldemichael is no stranger to success at the Horizon League Championships. He was crowned Horizon League Freshman of the Year in 2022 and earned a second-place finish in last year's meet. O'Hara finished just inside the top ten in the 2024 meet. 

While Weldemichael and O'Hara have led the group for the past couple of seasons, Kruse emphasized NKU's group of runners beyond the top two spots, which will play a vital role in the team's placement among league mates. "Our one to five is there at practice, but we have to bring it to the meet. At Louisville, our top four finished within 40 seconds of each other. That's what we can do, and that's what wins races." Stetson Childress and Jacob Line both set collegiate PR's in the 8K race, each finishing in under 25 minutes. 

Northern Kentucky graduates seven men's cross country seniors this season, those being O'Hara, Weldemichael, Childress, Line, Summit Northrup, Jacob Messer, and Brady Messer. The women's group is full of underclassmen, with the only graduating senior being Mason native Macie Radcliffe. When asked about this special group, Kruse noted, "The reason I'm still here is because of the senior class; eight of our athletes are seniors, had it not been, I probably would have left a while ago."

The youth of the women's program has been the story all season long, as one of the squad's two freshmen, Maggie Foust, has paced Northern Kentucky in every meet she's raced in. "I expect her to do what she's been doing," said Kruse. "She can run within herself, and doesn't need to have a perfect race to do well at the conference meet. Foust can be the top freshman at the meet if she has a solid performance, as she excels at the middle mile, and when Brittany (Arnold) trails off, Maggie pulls ahead."

Arnold, a sophomore with the Norse, has had a strong fall campaign and will be expected to finish inside the top three among Northern Kentucky runners. She recently set a 6K personal best at the Angel Mounds Invitational, the Norse's most recent meet. Grace Biddle, Kaitlyn Strange, and Macie Radcliffe have had solid fall seasons, with the latter two setting 5K personal records at the Mike Baumer Invitational back in September. 

The Horizon League Cross Country Championships will be held in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Saturday, November 1. The men's 8K race will start at 11 AM ET, with the women's race to follow at noon. 

FOLLOW NKU NORSE CROSS COUNTRY
Get in the game and follow Northern Kentucky's NCAA Division I college cross country teams through @NKUNorseXCTF on Twitter, @nkunorsexctf on Instagram, Northern Kentucky University Cross Country/Track & Field on Facebook and subscribe to the NKU Norse Youtube channel.
 
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Players Mentioned

Grace Biddle

Grace Biddle

Junior
Macie Radcliffe

Macie Radcliffe

Senior
Kaitlyn Strange

Kaitlyn Strange

Junior
Maggie Foust

Maggie Foust

Freshman
Stetson Childress

Stetson Childress

Graduate Student
Jacob Line

Jacob Line

Senior
Brady Messer

Brady Messer

Senior
Jacob Messer

Jacob Messer

Senior
Summit Northrup

Summit Northrup

Senior
Colton O

Colton O'Hara

Senior

Players Mentioned

Grace Biddle

Grace Biddle

Junior
Macie Radcliffe

Macie Radcliffe

Senior
Kaitlyn Strange

Kaitlyn Strange

Junior
Maggie Foust

Maggie Foust

Freshman
Stetson Childress

Stetson Childress

Graduate Student
Jacob Line

Jacob Line

Senior
Brady Messer

Brady Messer

Senior
Jacob Messer

Jacob Messer

Senior
Summit Northrup

Summit Northrup

Senior
Colton O

Colton O'Hara

Senior