Thrleton women’s track and field team boasted three all-conference performances last weekend in route to finishing eighth at the MIAC Outdoor Championships. Kelly Lovett ’11, Katherine Wingert ’08, and Karen Campbell ’09 all placed in the top three individually in their events to lead the Knights. Lovett had a very impressive performance in the javelin, overcoming less-than-ideal conditions to place second in the event. Lovett’s throw of 38.95 meters, was an NCAA provisional qualifying mark, and was second only to Lisa Brown of Gustavus, who was national champion in the event in 2006. Lovett said help from her teammates was instrumental in her performance. “I feel like the team really came together at conference, more than at any other meet this season,” she said. “Seeing girls come out to the javelin field to cheer for me despite the rain was a great feeling, and really helped me get pumped up to throw.” Wingert also competed well in the soggy conditions on Saturday, finishing third in the 1500 meter run with a time of 4:42.54. Campbell finished third in the 10,000 meter run, crossing the line in 38:08.77, which was 20 seconds faster than she had run this season. The 10,000 meter run was contested on Friday in which the weather was better, but Campbell turned around and also finished eighth in the 5000 on Saturday, in 18:29.84. Molly Christian ’08 was one spot out of an all-conference performance in the discus, finishing fourth in the event with a throw a of 40.14 meters. Additionally, she had a sixth place finish in the hammer throw. Other athletes scoring for the Knights included Laura Roach ’10 and Lauren Milne ’08 in the 1500. Roach finished seventh in 4:50.05, while Milne finished ninth in 4:53.19. Both of Milne’s performances in the preliminaries and finals of the 1500 were personal best times. Sophomores Kelsey Donald and Irene Koplinka-Loehr picked up a pair of seventh place finishes for the team. Donald finished second in the 200 meter dash, while Koplinka-Loehr finished seventh in the steeplechase. In addition, Annie Eckhoff, finished eighth in the triple jump, in her first time competing at conference as a Carleton track and field athlete. Carleton also had a strong showing in their relays. The 4×800 relay team of Sarah Forzley ’10, Roach, Milne, and Wingert finished sixth in 9:35.47. The 4×800 meter team comprised of Donald, Roach, Milne, and Wingert finished eighth in 4:13.13. The conference meet marked the end of the season for the majority of Carleton athletes, although Wingert and Lovett, who have both provisionally qualified for nationals, will wait to hear if they will be able to compete at nationals at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh on May 22-24.
