<rleton will look to improve on last year’s sixth-place finish at the MIAC Indoor Championships. The Knights will again rely on their dominant performances in the distance events, led for the fourth straight year by All-American Simone Childs-Walker ‘12.
Last season she became the first MIAC woman known to win the three-longest races contested at the same MIAC meet with triumphs in the 5,000-meter, 3,000-meter, and mile runs. She went on to her third straight third-place finish at the NCAA Championships in the 5K.
Childs-Walker again holds the top times in the 3K and 5K races, but this year her stiffest competition comes from teammates Alison Smyth ‘12 and Taylor Ffitch ‘12 who hold the second and third top times in conference in both the 3K and 5K. Childs-Walker is also seeded fifth in the mile run.
Currently Smyth holds the second-fastest time in the mile with Sarah Trautman ‘14 and Colette Celichowski ‘15 ranking third and fourth. The latter pair also own top-10 times in the 1,000-meter run.
The Knights will add depth in the middle distance races with Haley Johnson ‘13, Clare Franco ‘12 and Kaitlin Randolph ‘12. Johnson and Franco finished seventh and eighth respectively in the 1,000-meter run at last year’s event. Johnson holds the third-fastest 600-meter dash time this season as well as a top-10 time in the 800-meter run. Randolph is ranked fifth in the 800-meter run and eighth at the 1,000-meter distance.
Ellie Wilson ‘15 owns the third-fastest 200-meter dash time on the MIAC’s performance list. Her time in the 400-meter dash (58.19) makes her the second-fastest all-time at Carleton. Franco also owns a top-5 time in the 400-meter dash and the 11th-best mark at the 600-meter distance.
Pole vaulter Megan Erlandson ‘12 is seeded fourth and also possesses a a top-10 time in the 1,000-meter run.
Carleton could also score points in the 4×400 meter relay, where the Knights currently rank third in the MIAC. They have also had strong showings in the distance medley relay, with Carleton setting a new school record (12:00.05) on Feb. 18.