<rleton women’s track and field team was up against stiff competition last Saturday at St. Olaf’s annual Manitou Classic. More than 15 teams competed, with NCAA Division II and Division III teams from both Minnesota and Wisconsin bringing athletes.
Junior Karen Campbell was the Carleton women’s lone event winner on the day, as she claimed the title in the 10,000 meter run. Crossing the line with a time of 38:28.58, she was one of three Carleton athletes to finish the 6.2 mile race.
Irene Koplinka-Loehr ’10 finished 6th in 39:44.71 and Laura Sofen ’10 finished 12th in 41:31.36. Alissa Pajer ’08 continued Carleton’s strong performances in the distance events, finishing 4th in the 3000 meter run in a time of 11:44.95.
Laura Roach ’10 put in a very strong performance in the 1500 meter run, finishing second out of 45 runners. Her time of 4:50.20 brought her in just behind Heather Jelen of Bethel. Katherine Wingert ’08 was up against strong competition in the 800 meters, but still managed to finish sixth in 2:16.94.
In other events, Kelsey Donald ’10 was 5th in the 200 meter dash, finishing in a time of 27.21. She also finished 12th in the 400 meter dash in 61.90.
In addition, Carleton earned a trio of 4th place finishes in the throws, with Molly Christian ’08 finishing 4th in both the discus and the hammer and Kelly Lovett ’11, finishing 4th in the javelin. Yusi He ’09 had a personal best performance in the javelin, throwing 90’11” to finish 9th. Also in field events, Brasil Perez-Lukes ’11 finished in a tie for 5th place in the high jump.
Campbell was very happy with how her team as performed at the beginning of this outdoor season. “The start of outdoor track in Minnesota is always interesting, and I think our team has performed well, regardless of the weather conditions we’ve been dealt,” she said. “With only a couple of meets left, we are all due for some very exciting performances. I believe the 10k this weekend was only a glimpse of the spiciness to come.”
The Knights are next in action tomorrow at Macalester.
