After having to get on a plane to travel to its last three competitions, track and field will only have to get on bus this weekend.

The Huskies will compete in the Chicagoland championships hosted by Lewis University in Romeoville.

The Huskies won this local meet last year, scoring 174 points, which was 36 points ahead of the second-place DePaul University Blue Demons. This will also give NIU a chance to see how it measures up against other Chicago-area colleges and universities.

Other schools scheduled to attend this weekend’s meet include UIC, DePaul, Loyola and Chicago State. Local Division III schools North Central College in Naperville and the University of Chicago will compete, as well.

The meet’s location in the area gives locals a chance to become more familiar with the NIU program.

“I think it gives the recruits in the Chicago area a chance to see Northern compete, which all athletes like to see,” said head coach Connie Teaberry. “So, it will be able to spark their interest in NIU with the success that we’ll have this weekend against the Chicagoland area schools.”

NIU sent athletes to the Texas relays at the University of Texas and the Raleigh relays in North Carolina last weekend. Two NIU athletes earned spots in the MAC outdoor championships in May with their success at those meets.

Redshirt sophomore distance runner Meghan Heuer qualified for the conference meet in May with her third-place finish out of 15 in Section III at N.C. State. She had a time of 4:31.79. Also in Raleigh, NIU’s 4×1500 relay team broke the school record with its time of 19:33.00. The old record was 20:37.22, and it was set in 2010.

In Texas, senior sprinter/hurdler Megan Gregory earned a trip to Akron with their 36th place finish in a field of 81 in the 100 meter hurdles, running 14.02.

Teaberry said there are two reasons this weekend’s meet is beneficial to the athletes.

“Competing in the meets at home and then competing in a meet this weekend that’s so close to campus, it really gives the athletes an opportunity to attend their classes,” Teaberry said. “You don’t have to leave as early for competition to get to the venue. So, the ladies are able to attend [their classes], or at least the majority of them are able to attend their classes. I think it’s [going to] be a big morale booster ’cause family and friends and relatives and administrators will be able to be at the competition.”