<men’s track team went up to the University of Minnesota last weekend to take on some Division I athletes. It certainly had some success, with a lot of positives coming out of the meet and the team looking strong heading into the end of the season.
Simone Childs-Walker ’12 posted the highest finish for the Knights, finishing fourth in the mile with a Division III provisional qualifying mark of 5:01. Also in the mile, Alison Smyth ’12 ran a season’s best time, as did Laura Newcombe ’13.
In the other distance event, the 3k, Taylor Fitch ’12 led the Knights, placing 13th of 34. Emily Fritz-Endres ’11 also ran quite well, and we can’t forget about the trio that led heat two: Rachel Kittaka ’12 in an impressive 11:13, Shannon Mueller ’12 with her best race of the season, and Lauren Chow ’14 with another season’s best.
This day also saw the return of some previously injured athletes. Forbidden to run too fast, Clare Franco ’12 started out second-to-last in her heat of the 1,000m. In the last two laps, however, her competitive nature got the better of her and she passed the rest of the field save one. Also in that heat, Madison Wagener ’13 triumphantly returned to racing after a few weeks off, running an impressive 3:17.
The 800m featured some sprinters and they did quite well. Kaitlin Randolph ’12 isn’t really a true sprinter, but she took 12th in the event with a season’s best time of 2:23. Alex Dunn ’11 ran her first 800 ever and boy did she race, her competitive fire taking her to a spectacular 2:32. Kyla Walter ’11 also ran the half-mile in preparation for the pentathlon in two weeks and dropped quite a bit of time off her previous best.
The only other track events that saw Carleton athletes were the 200m and the 4x400m relay. Megan Erlandson ’12 did a superb job in the one-lap race, despite the fact that she had to ask multiple times for her lane assignment. The relay got the baton around the track, despite Smyth’s best attempts to prevent that from happening.
Erlandson also had another successful day in the pole vault, clearing 10’ 7” and taking fourth in the unseeded section. In other successful field events, Kelly Soderstrom ’11 had a personal best in the shot put, while Kao Sutton ’14 continued to improve her rotation.
The Knights’ last regular season meet is today at St. Olaf. According to Coach Donna Ricks, “Everybody and their dog will be there.” There will be some great competition that the team will use to tune up before the conference championships next weekend. Don’t be afraid to cross the river to partake in the excitement.
Alison Smyth is a member of the women’s track and field team
