<nks to the yeoman’s effort by the Carleton College facilities staff and grounds crew, the track at Laird Stadium was cleared of snow in order to allow the track and field teams to hold the Carleton Relays— the Knights’ only co-ed home meet of the 2013 outdoor season—as scheduled. The Carleton women finished in fourth place.
It has been a challenge all spring for Carleton and the other teams in the Upper Midwest to compete outdoors with several track and field meets affected by the unusual April weather. A snowstorm only 36 hours prior to the start of the meet put the day’s competition in jeopardy, but with lots of support from the Facilities Department, the Knights fared better than their counterparts across town at St. Olaf College, where the Oles canceled their Saturday home meet.
While the snow and cold temperatures did not stop the student-athletes from turning in some great marks, it did cause problems for the automated timing system, forcing several events to be hand-timed.
Haley Johnson ‘13 won the 800-meter run with Ruth Steinke ‘16 taking third. Both racers posted career best, finishing at 2:17.38 and 2:19.28, respectively.
Steinke notched another PR as she held off Colette Celichowski ‘15 to win the 1500-meter run in 4:42.81, one-tenth of a second ahead of her teammate, who also posted a career best at the distance.
Carleton’s other victory came in the 4×400-meter relay as Reilly Simon ‘16, Ellie Wilson ‘15, Johnson, and Emma Russ ‘16 combined on a time of 4:06.27, which ranks second in the MIAC this season.
Kayla McKinsey ‘16 recorded personal bests as she placed fourth in the 100-meter dash (13.0) and fifth in the 200-meter dash (27.2).
Aurora Janes ‘15 added a PR of 18:56.40 as she finished fourth in the 5000-meter run.
Carleton’s top placement in the field events came from Amelia Campbell ‘16, who took third in the high jump as she cleared 1.55 meters to match her career best.
The Knights are slated to compete at the Drake Relays Alternate meet hosted by Gustavus Adolphus College on Saturday, April 27.