<u were wandering the Lower Arb last Saturday, you may have stumbled across the women’s cross-country team running a 3k time trial. The Lady Knights will use the momentum generated by this speedy effort to launch themselves into the MIAC Championships this Saturday at Como Park in St. Paul.
The women’s team race is shaping up to be another extremely close contest and Carleton will be in the thick of it. Five of the MIAC teams are regionally ranked and three show up in the national polls including your very own Lady Knights, currently at 20th in the country.
The cross-country team’s biggest competition looks to come from the University of St. Thomas and Bethel University, last year’s first and second place finishers, respectively. Bethel has strong front-runners and St. Thomas has a very deep team. Carleton will be relying on a combination of front-runners and depth. The team will be led by Simone Childs-Walker ’12, possessing one of the strongest last miles of any finisher, and Laura Roach ’10, the fiercest competitor around. Carleton has a solid 3rd and 4th in Taylor ffitch ’12 and Alison Smyth ’12. One key will be the team’s depth, evidenced through the strength of the six-woman pack that comprises Carleton’s 5-10.
That’s how it looks on paper anyway. The conference championships are notorious for unexpected results and this year will be no different. Remember, Saturday, Como Park, St. Paul, 2:15 PM.