NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College women’s track and field team finished in second place at the 2018 MIAC Track and Field Championships. The Knights were led on Saturday by victories from the distance-duo of Meg Mathison (So./Waunakee, Wis./Waunakee) and Emily Kaegi (Sr./Williamstown, Mass./Mount Greylock).
The Knights finished with 103 points as St. Thomas was the lone team to finish ahead of them (186.50 points).
“As a coach it was fun to watch this meet unfold,” said Carleton head coach Donna Ricks. “Our athletes did a tremendous job. When the MIAC Championships come around you hope for your athletes to have a great experience, especially when you are hosting at home. They certainly took advantage of it; every performance made an impact. To rise from eighth place last season to second this year was an impressive feat.”
Mathison posted a victory in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:50.91, second-best in team history. Her time was just shy of the Laird Stadium record of 10:50.48, set by Katie Theisen of St. Thomas in 2009. Kaegi cruised to a first-place finish in the 5000-meter run with a time of 17:22.63, which was over 13 seconds faster than the next racer.
The next racer turned out to be teammate Amanda Mosborg (Fy./Edina, Minn./Edina), who earned runner-up status and All-MIAC distinction with a time of 17:35.66.
Carleton saw two other All-MIAC performances on Day 2. In the triple jump, Damali Britton (Sr./Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista) posted a top measurement of 11.19 meters, which was good for second place. In the 200-meter dash, Sid Holder (Fy./West Orange, NJ/Phillips Academy) placed third with a time of 25.19 to earn all-conference status. For Holder, she trimmed nearly a second off her outdoor personal best entering the weekend. She came into the championships with a seed time of 26.07, posted a mark of 25.65 in the prelims, and bettered that again by almost a half-second during the finals.
Holder also turned in an All-MIAC Honorable Mention performance in the 100-meter dash as she finished in fourth place with a time of 12.54 seconds.
Also earning all-conference honorable mention for the Knights were Marietta Geist (So./Crookston, Minn./Crookston) and Helen Schuda (So./Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt). Geist finished in sixth in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:51.11, while Schuda placed sixth in the 5000-meter run at 18:06.43. The final honorable-mention performance came from the 4x100-meter relay squad of Tonya Piergies (Jr./Kenilworth, Ill./North Shore), Britton, Emma Thomley (So./Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls), and Holder as they combined for a time of 50.46 to earn fifth place.
“The seniors have done an outstanding job all season leading this team during practices and meets,” said Ricks. “They have demonstrated the ability to balance academics, and with good time management you can be a competitive varsity athlete and still be true to your academic endeavors. That doesn't mean it was easy, as many of seniors these past few weeks presented their senior comps projects and came away this past weekend achieving great success. Their presence and leadership will be missed next year.
“We had many first-years play a key role, including Sid Holder in the sprints, Erica Blackett-Thomas in the high jump (on Friday), and both the middle distance and distance runners qualifying for the meet and advancing to finals. This sets the tone for next year’s team and for cross country in the fall.”
First, however, a handful of Knights may elect to compete at the UW-La Crosse Last Chance meet on Thursday, May 17 in hopes of improving their chances at qualifying for the NCAA D-III Outdoor Championships on May 24-26.
“Hosting the MIAC Championship meet is a team effort. The facilities crew, our SID, the officials, our colleagues, the custodians, and the entire track and field coaching staff and teams put forth a great deal of effort into hosting. I want to thank everyone involved for the part they played into running off this championships Alumni, thank you, It meant a great deal to have you come back and support the men's and women's teams.”
ALL-MIAC PERFORMANCES FOR CARLETON
High Jump
1. Erica Blackett-Thomas — 1.70-meters (5’7”)
10,000-meter run
1. Sam Schnirring — 37:17.10
3. Emma Greenlee -- 37:34.25
4x800-meter relay
1. Abby Sharer, Maya Hilty, Emily Kaegi, Meg Mathison — 9:24.37
5000-meter run
1. Emily Kaegi — 17:22.63
2. Amanda Mosborg -- 17:35.66
3000-meter steeplechase
1. Meg Mathison — 10:50.91
200-meter dash
3. Sid Holder — 25.19
Triple Jump
2. Damali Britton — 11.19 meters
ALL-MIAC HONORABLE MENTION PERFORMANCES FOR CARLETON
Long Jump
4. Damali Britton — 5.19-meters
4x100-meter relay
5. Tonya Piergies, Damali Britton, Emma Thomley, Sid Holder — 50.46
1500-meter run
6. Marietta Geist — 4:51.11
100-meter dash
4. Sid Holder — 12.54
5000-meter run
6. Helen Schuda — 18:06.43
