<st Saturday, Emma Sando ’09, normally considered a friendly and benign force, was so intimidating that the rainclouds fearfully fled the Macalester Track and Field Invitational, leaving Sando to kick her way to an exciting fourth place finish in the 5,000 meters with a personal record of 19:51. Laura Roach ’10 showed her appreciation for Sando by winning the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 11:00.33, well under the NCAA provisional qualifying mark despite running the entire race alone, far ahead of her competitors. Roach shared the spotlight with Alex Dunn ’11, who easily won her heat of the 400 meters in 66.51 seconds, beating her previous personal record by an unheard-of four seconds. Jill Merkle ’12 provided high quality performances as she earned fifth in both the javelin throw and in an impressive 100-meter hurdle race, as well as earning ninth in the long jump, just one inch behind teammate Amy Elson ’10.
Wednesday, the Knights returned to Summit Avenue to battle the rain at St. Thomas’s Tommie Twilight, where Christina Knudson won the hearts of her teammates with a monstrously unbelievable personal record in the 1500 meters of 5:31.27. It was clearly good weather for this event, as Taylor Ffitch ’12 and Laura Sofen ’10 both improved upon their times. Additionally, Simone Childs-Walker ’12 greatly improved her NCAA ranking in the 5,000 meters, which she won in 17:17.06, followed by Karen Campbell ’09. Despite being relatively new to hurdling, freshmen Niki Tomita and Kaitlin Randolph ran strong 100 meter hurdle and 400 meter hurdle races, respectively. The MIAC heptathlon began Thursday and continues today at Laird Stadium, where you are highly encouraged to cheer on Elson, Merkle, and Clare Franco ’12. The MIAC championships continue next Friday and Saturday at Laird Stadium, and promise to provide excellent entertainment, concessions, men in short shorts, and a chance to surreptitiously strengthen both your tan and your resolve to exercise more.