DeKALB – NIU Cross Country starts its new season at home on Friday with the NIU Huskie Opener.
The Huskies meet on Friday will be the first home game for the cross country team since the 2022 season opener. Head coach Juan Carrillo was excited about Friday’s meet, his first home game as head coach.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to host,” Carrillo said. “I tried to host this event last year, but by the time I got the job and contacted other coaches, they had already made commitments for the season. This year I was able to bring teams like Northwestern, Western Illinois, Depaul and McHenry, so it will be about five or six DI schools.”
This year’s cross country team consists of 10 athletes, three seniors, three graduate students and four juniors, including three freshmen.
Carrillo believes the large number of seniors can help the team remain competitive this year and will also help put the team in a better position for next season and beyond.
“After this year, when all the seniors are gone, we’re going to have a pretty young team,” Carrillo said. “But it definitely helps a lot to have a lot of experienced athletes that these younger athletes can learn from.”
Along with the Huskies’ new freshman class, Carrillo brought in two graduate students from the transfer portal, graduate Camille Jackson from the University of New Mexico and Bailey Wilk from the University of St. Francis.
Wilk is a former member of St. Francis’ 2020 national cross country championship team. Wilk was also an all-conference runner last season and placed fifth at the 2023 Chicagoland Girls Cross Country Championship, running her 6K race in 23:10.96.
“Bailey Wilk looks like she’s going to be one of our favorites from the practice I’ve seen over the two weeks,” Carrillo said. “She was part of a national championship-winning team, so she brings a lot of experience when it comes to competing at those high levels, whether it’s Division 1 or NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), nationally.”
Two experienced athletes, Emma Vorpagel and Joy Jackson, are also returning to the Huskies.
Vorpagel capped her outdoor season with a personal best in the 800-meter run at the MAC Championships in DeKalb, posting a time of 2:09.38.
“Emma Vorpagel is coming off a great outdoor season where she ran a huge personal record in the 800 meters,” said Carrillo. “Now she brings that experience to cross country as a senior.”
Carrillo also talked about the jump of sophomore Morgan Gioia, who did not make the team’s regional roster last season and may now be the number two or three runner on the team.
“A year ago, Morgan didn’t make our squad for regionals, and this year she looks like she’s our number two or three runner,” Carrillo said. “Looking at how much progress she’s made and how she looks in training and running, I can tell she’s been working on a lot of different things over the summer to become a more efficient runner.”
The Huskies Cross Country team will begin its season on Friday at 5:30 p.m. on the North 40 track in DeKalb. Live stats can be found at Lakeshore Sports Services.
