MIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships web site
NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The women’s team got contributions from nearly everyone on the team as the Knights placed fifth in the team competition at the 2009 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Simone Childs Walker (Fy./Seattle, Wash./Lakeside) dominated the field as she recorded NCAA provisional qualifying times in winning both the 5,000 and 10,000-meter races on her home track.
“I’m very excited about this team,” said head coach Donna Ricks. “They did a terrific job. We’re a smaller team, but everybody on the team contributed, allowing us to grab fifth place. With such a young team I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish in the future.”The University of St. Thomas women tallied 207.0 points and claimed their fifth consecutive MIAC outdoor team title. Rounding out the top five at the 12-team competition were Gustavus (173.0 points), Saint Benedict (84.0), Concordia (77.0) and Carleton (72.5). A total of 30 NCAA qualifying standards were hit during the two-day event, including four automatic qualifying marks. Three meet records and two stadium marks were broken.
Taking full advantage of competing on her home course, Childs-Walker cut 39 seconds off her career best in the 10,000-meter race on Friday. She crossed the line at 35:52.17. Three other runners also had provisional qualifying times in the event including teammate Karen Campbell (Sr./Rochester, N.Y./Brighton), who placed fourth at 37:09.04. Taylor Ffitch (Fy./Portland, Ore./St. Mary's Academy) just missed achieving a provo mark, but she joined Campbell as All-MIAC honorable mention with her sixth-place performance.
The same trio led the way in the 5,000-meter run on day two. Childs-Walker continues to hold onto the top time in the MIAC in the event as she crossed the line at 17:22.23. Campbell and Ffitch placed fourth and sixth again, earning the pair all-conference honorable mention once more
Shannon Mueller (Fy./Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) and Emma Sando (Sr./Milton, Mass./Middlebury College) greatly improved their season-best times in 5K.
Claire Franco (Fy./Brunswick, Maine) demonstrated why she will be a force in the MIAC for the next few years as the rookie finished with a personal-best and NCAA provisional qualifying time of 57.41 in the 400-meter dash. She earned All-MIAC honors after taking second place and cutting more than 1.6 seconds off her qualifying time. Franco also scored points for Carleton with her seventh-place showing in the 200. She finished the weekend by anchoring the Knights’ fastest 4x400 relay in several years. Demonstrating her all-around talents, Franco placed fourth at last week’s MIAC Heptathlon.
Junior Laura Roach (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) finished second and improved her personal record time in the steeplechase by five seconds. She continues to inch up the lost of provisional qualifiers for the national championships. Fellow junior Amy Elson (Davis, Calif.) was eighth in the triple jump. Sarah Forzley (Jr./South Windsor, Conn.) qualified for the finals in the 1500-meter run and took 11th place.
Sophomore Kelly Lovett (Portland, Ore./Lincoln) placed fourth in the javelin throw with a distance of 127-0, a NCAA provisional qualifying distance. Kyla Walter (So./Aspen, Colo.) cleared 4-9 3/4 to tie for seventh in the high jump.
The Knights got a glimpse of what the future may hold with strong performances from three other rookies. Kaitlin Randolph (Drummond, Wis.) earned All-MIAC honorable mention with her sixth-place showing in the 400-meter hurdles. Jill Merkle (Wayzata, Minn./Hopkins) qualified for the finals in the 100-meter hurdles and finished eighth. Megan Erlandson (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnehaha Academy) added to Carleton’s point total by placing seventh in the pole vault.“I had so much fun today watching this team perform and support one another,” Ricks said. “I am so proud of them and have so much respect for how hard they worked this season and what they have accomplished. They are great athletes, great teammates and truly wonderful people. We are certainly going to miss our seniors and are so glad that all of them were had the opportunity to compete at home in their final collegiate track and field meet”
