The end of the inaugural indoor track season for the NIU women’s track squad ended in disappointing fashion Saturday as the team finished dead last at the Mid-American Conference indoor track and field championships.

The Huskies finished at the bottom of the barrel of the 13-team field, failing to score a single point in their first-ever MAC championship. Ball State University ran away with the title by grabbing 145 points, followed by Kent State University with 125 and Eastern Michigan University with 91.

For NIU, the fact that it participated in the championships was a step in the right direction. Athletic director Cary Groth reinstated the program last summer after an 18-year layoff, after it was cut due to budgetary constraints in 1982.

Several members of the NIU cross-country team provided a core for the women’s track squad, competing in all of the distance events for the Huskies. Brittany Bergstrand, Jennifer Hildenbrand and Jillian Loebach all made the switch to track and filed and placed 26th in the 5K, and 17th and 18th in the mile run,

respectively.

Freshman Maggie Kuebel finished 24th in the shot put with a 38-foot-7-inch toss, while freshman Laura Dunn finished 22nd in the 3,000-meter run with a 10:57.73 finish.

Dunn said at things didn’t go as bad as they seem for the Huskies.

“Things went well overall for us,” she said. “It was a good learning experience being our first conference meet.”

The Huskies will take the next two days off and resume practice Tuesday for the beginning of their outdoor season. The ladies will look to make their presence known March 16 at the University of Miami Hurricane Invitational.