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Women's Cross Country

Biddle wins Mike Baumer Invitational, Cross Country opens 2026 campaign

FAIRBORN, Ohio – Northern Kentucky University Norse men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2026 season on Friday evening, racing in the Mike Baumer Invitational hosted by Wright State. Grace Biddle headlined the night by winning the women's race by just three-tenths of a second, earning her third career individual victory. 

Overall, the Norse women finished in fourth place out of 13 competing teams. The Norse men, led by freshman Noah Towne, finished in seventh place out of nine teams that placed five finishers. 

THE BASICS
RESULTS: Men - 7th/9 - 179 points | Women - 4th/13 - 93 points
LOCATION: Fairborn Community Park - Fairborn, Ohio
MEET: Mike Baumer Invitational

NOTABLES - WOMEN
– Biddle clocked a time of 17:57.4, earning her third career collegiate victory after winning the Queen City Invitational in both 2023 & 2024. 
– Sami Govey finished 17th overall, running a 19:02.9 in the five-kilometer race. 
– Carlie Condit notched a 24th-place finish, running a 19:15. 
– Julia Verhoff ran a 19:29.0, while Brittany Arnold finished a tenth of a second behind her as they finished in 29th and 30th, respectively. 
– Emily Foley (19:39.6, 37th) and Allie Atchley (20:16.1, 56th) each rounded out the top seven for the Norse.

NOTABLES - MEN
– Noah Towne paced the Norse with a 16:20.5 5k run, finishing 33rd in his first collegiate race. 
– Nathan Ruth finished in 35th overall, running a 16:21.9, just behind Towne. 
– Brady Messer finished in 40th, running a 16:28.7 on the night. 
– Gregory Beard (16:50.1, 54th) and Brayden Rice (18:53.9, 95th) rounded out the Norse group of runners. 

UP NEXT
The Norse will run in Shelbyville, Indiana in two weeks, taking part in the Crimson Pride Invite hosted by IU Columbus. 

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

Gregory Beard

Gregory Beard

Junior
Brady Messer

Brady Messer

Fifth Year
Nathan Ruth

Nathan Ruth

Junior
Brayden Rice

Brayden Rice

Junior
Noah Towne

Noah Towne

Freshman
Brittany Arnold

Brittany Arnold

Junior
Grace Biddle

Grace Biddle

Senior
Carlie Condit

Carlie Condit

Junior
Julia Verhoff

Julia Verhoff

Senior
Sami Govey

Sami Govey

Freshman

Players Mentioned

Gregory Beard

Gregory Beard

Junior
Brady Messer

Brady Messer

Fifth Year
Nathan Ruth

Nathan Ruth

Junior
Brayden Rice

Brayden Rice

Junior
Noah Towne

Noah Towne

Freshman
Brittany Arnold

Brittany Arnold

Junior
Grace Biddle

Grace Biddle

Senior
Carlie Condit

Carlie Condit

Junior
Julia Verhoff

Julia Verhoff

Senior
Sami Govey

Sami Govey

Freshman