<ompeted in the MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Gustavus Adolphus College this past weekend. Notorious for its wind, the Knights arrived expecting ferocious gusts. Relatively calm breezes met them, but Saturday’s rain more than made up for the lack of wind. The weather did not deter the Knights, however, and they went on to score 49 points at the meet, finishing ninth. All-American Simone Childs-Walker headlined the team’s individual accomplishments, winning both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
The meet actually started last weekend with the heptathlon, with Kyla Walter ’11 and Sami Kemper ’14 collecting the Knights’ first three points.
Next, the javelin was contested with Jessa Youso ’13 tossing one of her best throws of the season. Lovett, an All-American in the event, competed valiantly, holding the lead through four throws. A Concordia athlete bettered Lovett’s distance on her fifth throw, however, giving Lovett one last chance to take the title. The flight was beautiful, but two centimeters short. There are no error bars in track and field, so Lovett had to be content with second. In the past however, this sort of adversity has fueled her for the national competition, where Lovett will look to pick up another All-American citation in two weeks.
The first track event for the Knights was the 1500-meter run. Sarah Trautman ’13 led the Carls, using long, speedy strides to propel her into the finals. Carrie Harshbarger ’13 ran her way to a personal record, followed by teammate Milana Socha ’14. In the next heat Rachel Kittaka ’12 overcame a restart to run a smart structure and drop another six seconds or so off her best time.
Meanwhile, Walter took to the high jump against a very competitive field. Once the opening height was determined, Walter proceeded to clear it and ended up jumping a solid 1.51 meters. Her fellow multi-eventer, Kemper, competed in the 400-meter hurdles, dropping nearly a second off her previous time with ease.
Alex Dunn ’11 rejoiced in her newfound love for the middle distance races, competing in the 800-meter run. It was Dunn’s first time competing in the outdoor championships and she did well, running close to a best time. Maggie Sullivan ’14 experienced the conference meet by competing in the 200-meter dash.
Following Sullivan’s race, Childs-Walker ’12 took to the track in the 10,000-meter run. Childs-Walker elected to help out fellow Carl Alison Smyth ’12 to a fast time and it worked out well. Childs-Walker took her third career conference title in the event and helped Smyth finish fourth in an NCAA provisional qualifying time.
The next day, Trautman competed in the finals of the 1500-meter run, finishing just a tenth slower than the previous day to take eighth in the event and grab a point for the Knights. Kemper dealt with the weather in the triple jump and Megan Erlandson ’12 overcame her disappointment that the pole vault would be contested indoors to equal her own school record and take fifth in the event. Fifth was the place of the day, as Kao Sutton ’14 grabbed a fifth-place finish in the discus throw. Shannon Mueller ’12 also managed to take fifth in the 5000-meter run, scaring Smyth’s parents.
The 5k proved to be a successful race for the team, with Childs-Walker grabbing the lead from the get-go and winning by over 40 seconds. Smyth was the next Knight to physically cross the finish line and Rachael Klehm ’13 took eight seconds off her time to place 11th in 18:31. Emily Fritz-Endres ’11 ran 18:48, meaning that she ran over three miles at 6:01 pace. Mueller beat a competitor by one-tenth of a second, demonstrating her feistiness.
The last event was the 1600-meter relay. Sullivan led off spectacularly, with Kemper following. Close on Hamline’s heels, Dunn received the baton and ran a best time to pass the Piper going into the handoff. Walter anchored the relay and also ran a best time.
The Knights placed ninth at the meet, just three points behind St. Olaf College and four behind Augsburg College. This concluded the season for most of the team, but Lovett and Childs-Walker have already secured spots for themselves at the national meet ninth weekend. The meet will be held in Ohio, beginning Thursday, May 26.
Alison Smyth is a member of the women’s track team.