<wa? What could there possibly be in Iowa? Well, as it turns out there are some very nice track and field facilities, as well as some really fast runners.
The Knights held their own though, placing fourth at the Darren Young Classic in Grinnell, Iowa.
The meet kicked off with what should be one of the best events for the Knights, the Distance Medley Relay. The team of Sarah Trautman ’13, Ellie Wilson ’15, Haley Johnson ’13, and Colette Celichowski ’15 ran to victory in an impressive 12:28, setting the meet record and putting them at 20th in the nation. Wilson would go on to place second in the 200m dash, setting another personal best.
Clare Franco ‘12 also made a nice return to form as she won the 400m dash in under 59 seconds, setting the facility record and putting her in the top 30 in the country. In the 800 m, Kaitlin Randolph ’12 ran beautiful structure to place second. Trautman was just behind in fourth, while Megan Erlandson ’12 dropped a second off her time following a second place finish in the pole vault and Lindsay Turchan ’15 placed third in her heat.
Not only did the Knights run well in the short events, but Aurora Janes ’15 took eight seconds off her mile time to win her heat by almost 15 seconds. The 3k was masterful, with Ahna Weeks ’15, Carrie Harshbarger ’13, and Emily Hillmer ’15 demonstrating how teamwork works during a track race. Each took the lead for a few laps and then they battled it out to the finish, placing fifth, sixth, and eighth respectively.
In the 5k, Taylor ffitch ’12 beat the second stadium record of her collegiate career. She ran 30 seconds faster than she has at that distance, running 18:06 to put herself at fifth all-time at Carleton. Shannon Mueller ’12 also ran one of the most engaging 5ks of her career, setting an all-time best in the 5k, also dropping 30 seconds off her indoor best. In a time apart, Simone Childs-Walker placed sixth in the event, while Alison Smyth ’12 was 17th.
The Knights were split in Iowa, but they’ll be sending a full squad to take on most of the conference schools and the University of Minnesota tomorrow. The indoor season is wrapping up, as the snow comes off the outdoor track, and the Knights will be fine-tuning some of their favorite events before the conference championships in two weeks.