A new look NIU cross country team finished in seventh place at the Fighting Illini Open, with freshman Amelie Ojeda taking home a top-20 finish. 

The Huskies’ roster this season features seven new athletes – five freshmen and two transfers – and one returning athlete, sophomore Varri Higgins. 

NIU sent six athletes to run the women’s 4k race at the Fighting Illini Open on Friday, five of which were freshmen competing in their first collegiate events. 

The Huskies left the open in seventh place as a team, finishing with 183 total points. Out of a field of eight teams, NIU finished directly ahead of Chicago State University with 232 points, and just 2 points behind Southern Illinois University in sixth place with 181 points. 

Bradley University won the event with each of their top five runners finishing in the top 10, giving the school a total score of 28 for the race. 

The Huskies top-five athletes finished the race with an average time of 15:10 for the 4K race with the best time on the team being Ojeda’s 14:16.10 to secure a 20th place finish.

Ojeda’s time of 14:16.10 was seven tenths of a second ahead of Illinois State’s freshman Brooke Zeibert who finished in 21st place with a time of 14:16.80. 

Freshman Ariel Hernandez was the second Huskie to finish the race, coming in 38th place with a time of 14:49.70. 

Freshman Isabella Grieder finished in 48th place with a final time of 15:25.00. Freshman Claire Helmila finished seven seconds behind her teammate Grieder in 50th place with a time of 15:32.30

Despite being in her second season with NIU, Higgins finished her first collegiate race in 54th place with a time of 15:48.10.

Freshman Liliana Camargo was the last Huskie to finish the race, coming in with a time of 16:19.80 to secure a 58th place finish. 

The Huskies will return to action at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 5 for a home invitational, the Huskie Classic, in DeKalb at NIU’s North 40 Course.