DeKALB – Graduate student Bailey Wilk led the charge as NIU cross country opened its season Friday at the NIU Huskie Opener.

Wilk competed in her first race with the Huskies, taking an eighth place finish in the 5k race. The University of St. Francis transfer registered a time of 18:57.59 with a 6:07 per mile pace.

“I’m happy, but you never know how it’s going to go,” Wilk said. “I was just happy to be out here, new school, just trying to enjoy it.”

Freshman Rachel Dietrich had the second-best finish for the Huskies, taking a 15th place finish while running 19:41.69 with a 6:21 mile pace. 

“Rachel Dietrich, she’s an 800-meter runner and has been training for the 800 all summer and through the fall,” said NIU cross country head coach Juan Carrillo. “She was a number two runner today, and that was a big surprise. I knew she was competitive when we recruited her, but now she showed me how competitive she is today.”

Graduate student Camille Jackson finished in 17th place with a time of 19:52.98, 11 seconds behind her teammate Dietrich. 

Seniors Emma Vorpagel and Olivia Southby, and graduate student Carly Leonard finished consecutively in 26th, 27th and 28th.

Vorpagel finished first out of the three in 26th place and recorded a time of 20:49.81, with a 6:43 mile pace. 

Leonard finished less than one second behind Vorpagel with a time of 20:50.27

Southby finished in 28th place, trailing her teammate Leonard by seven seconds and recording a time of 20:57.74. 

Sophomore Morgan Gioia was the last Huskie finisher in its 5k race, taking a 30th place finish in the field of 45 runners. Gioia recorded a time of 21:16.93, at mile pace 6:51.

“I think, overall, we look strong,” Carrillo said. “This is not the type of course to come in and run big personal records this early in the season. So based on where our training is, we look strong.”

The Huskies will return to action Sept. 13 at the Redbird Invite in Normal hosted by Illinois State University.