For the first time since the mid-1980s, the 2005 MAC cross country championships will be held at NIU Saturday. Teams will take to the turf at the North Forty course at 11 a.m.

NIU is no stranger to being the host school for a MAC tournament, as the gymnastics championships were held on campus last year.

Women runners from the MAC will tread the grassy terrain for a 5-kilometer course laid out behind Barsema Hall, the Engineering Building and Anderson Hall.

Assistant coach Gretchen Folck said NIU benefits from a slight home-field advantage due to course familiarity.

“It is real neat to host the championships,” Folck said. “It is a fair course to run, and no one knows the course better than us.”

NIU enters the championships fresh off a team win at the Benedictine University Eagle Invitational, but was picked to finish last by the MAC coaches. Folck said that prognostication may be skewed because NIU has so many new runners.

“I think we were chosen last because no one knew us,” Folck said. “We are a young team, we have 7 freshman and no one is familiar with our girls.”

If the Huskies want to make some noise they will need a solid performance from Christina Nieto, a senior who wants to close out her NIU career with a flourish.

“It would be great to go out with a bang,” Nieto said. “It’s a great opportunity to run in front of my friends and family, and hopefully post a personal best time.”

Nieto also hopes that being host school will raise her teammates expectations.

“I expect a lot of people to step up because we’ve got ‘home court’ advantage,” Nieto said. “Hopefully everyone can post a personal best time.”

Early in the season, NIU was led by freshman Meghan Ginter. Ginter posted an NIU season best personal time of 18:58 at the Central Collegiate Invite in Toledo, Ohio Sept. 17.

In addition to Ginter and Nieto, Folck will count on junior Jessica Schauff and sophomore Stacey Rosch to lead the way for NIU runners.

Coaches’ preseason favorite Kent State has struggled and will be without their best runner. Picked as a preseason runner-up, Akron arrives with three meet victories.

The men run an 8-kilometer course at noon, and preseason coaches poll favorite Eastern Michigan will face stiff competition from Central Michigan. NIU does not have a men’s cross country team.