Alpena’s Szymanski Sets Record with 65th Appearance at NCAA Finals for NMU

Northern Michigan University sophomore Madi Szymanski represented her school at the NCAA Division II Championships in Missouri, finishing 65th out of over 260 runners. She ran a personal best time of 21 minutes and 6.2 seconds on the six-kilometer course. Szymanski’s impressive performance was highlighted by her move up in the field, going from 91st at the 1K mark to 73rd at the 5K mark.

Throughout the season, Szymanski earned All-GLIAC honors and All-Region recognition for her outstanding performance. Her personal record time for a 6K improved three times throughout the season, with a time of 20:55.83 at the regionals being her best finish. NMU cross country coach Jenny Ryan praised Szymanski for her hard work and dedication to the sport, saying “Madi is an incredible athlete who has worked tirelessly to improve her skills and achieve success on the track.”

Grand Valley State took home the team title for the seventh time in program history, with all of their top five runners finishing inside the first 30. The Lakers’ dominance was evident as they captured their fifth consecutive regional championship and third straight national championship earlier this year.