Northeastern’s women’s cross country team competed in its first meet of the season at the Suffolk Short Course Classic Aug. 30. The team kicked off its 2025 season with a strong performance at the meet, earning first place with 30 points, and four Huskies finished in the top 10 of the 3K race.  

Northeastern competed against 17 other cross country teams at the meet, including two other Division I teams: the University of New Hampshire and College of the Holy Cross. 

Graduate student Stephanie Kriss led the way for the Huskies, crossing the finish line in third place with a time of 11:05.2. Less than a second later, freshman Emersyn DePonte finished in fourth place with a time of 11:06.1, making quite the impression in her first meet as a Husky in a field of 190 runners. 

The other two Huskies who secured spots in the top 10 were sophomore Emily Wickard and freshman Kirsten Melnik, who earned sixth and seventh place, respectively. Wickard walked away with a time of 11:06.6, and Melnik followed shortly thereafter with 11:09.4. Melnik and DePonte made up two of the three freshmen that finished the race in the top 10.

The team’s performance at the meet marks a promising start to the new season after the last one, when they became CAA champions for the first time in university history. With both returning athletes and new talent, Northeastern women’s cross country has strong potential to build momentum as the season progresses. 

The Huskies compete next in the Friar Invitational Sept. 5 in Providence, R.I.