LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Clara Mayfield (Jr./Manhattan, Kan./Manhattan) captured her third career All-America award—her second in cross country to go along with one for indoor track & field—in leading the Carleton College women's cross country team to a 21st place finish at the 2021 NCAA Division III Championships at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park.
 
Mayfield, who finished 30th at the 2019 national cross country championships, becomes the third Knight to earn multiple All-America awards in women's cross country, joining Anna Prineas (1987 and 1988) and Ruth Steinke (2014 and 2015). Mayfield earned the program's 14th all-time All-America citation (see full chart below) and turned in the program's seventh top-10 individual performance at the NCAA Championships.
 
"Clara ran the perfect race," said Carleton head coach Donna Ricks. "This national race was Clara's focus the entire season. Her goal of finishing in the top 10 became a reality because of her diligence and love for running. She loves to compete.
 
"What an impressive season. Becoming an All-American and finishing in 10th place didn't happen overnight. Clara's work ethic, her dedication to training, and paying attention to all of the details set her up for an overall great season. Clara is diligent, not just with training miles and long runs. She eats well, gets 9-10 hours of sleep, lifts, and stretches. Those are the things that have kept her injury free, allowing her to train and compete at the highest level."
 
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the 2020 schedule, this year's national championship capped the first collegiate cross country season for 6 of the 7 Carleton runners competing on Saturday. That made the Knights one of the youngest squads in the field.
 
"You build success by working together and supporting each other inside and outside of running," said Ricks. "The majority of our team is comprised of underclasswomen. We've gained a tremendous amount of experience and respect for one another this season.
 
"Several things were instrumental to this young team's success: gaining insight into the training and the discipline it takes to compete at the collegiate level, along with time management and self-care, as well as forming a strong bond with teammates and coaches. Each one of them demonstrated their commitment and dedication to the team by their hard work each day at our 6:45 a.m. practices. That's not an easy task as a college student."
 
While this was the 10th consecutive time the Knights qualified for the NCAA Championships as a team, Mayfield was the only Carleton runner at this year's meet with previous Nationals experience. She spent the entire 6-kilometer race among the top-10 competitors and finished 10th overall, posting a time of 21:10.8. That was good for an impressive 53-second improvement over her time on this same course at the 2019 national meet.
 
Sophomore Helen Cross (Nederland, Colo./Nederland) was the next Knight to finish, placing 91st overall in the field of 293 runners with a time of 22:24.5. She moved up 18 spots over the final 2,000 meters.
 
"Helen did an amazing job this season, taking control of her training and figuring out the 6k race structure," Ricks said.. "The coaches relied heavily on Helen to get the team off the line and implement a solid race structure that would guide her teammates during races. Her strong and consistent racing was a tremendous asset to this team."
 
Sophomores Phoebe Ward (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Dobbs Ferry) and Mary Blanchard (Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) were next across the finish line for Carleton, placing 152nd and 164th, respectively, with times of 22:47.9 and 22:51.5. Ward improved 14 spots over the second half of the race, while Blanchard moved up 13 places.
 
First-year Libby Rowland (Tulsa, Okla./Holland Hall) rounded out the scoring for the Knights, clocking a time of 23:29.9. She showed the most improvement of any Knight down the home stretch, passing 14 runners over the final 1,000 meters of the race.
 
Sophomore Alice Cutter (So./New York, N.Y./Poly Prep Day School) and first-year Sophie McManus (McCall, Idaho/McCall-Donnelly) also raced for the Knights, placing 269th and 278th in their first exposure to the NCAA Championships. Cutter posted a time of 23:56.2, while McManus covered the race distance in 24:10.9.
 
"Our team had outstanding leadership by our three captains this season: Clara Mayfield, Marte Borgmann (Jr./Seattle, Wash./Garfield), and Allegra Pihlaja (Sr./Duluth, Minn./Duluth East). They truly made an impact on this team by providing guidance every step of the way."
 
No. 1-ranked Johns Hopkins repeated as national team champions with 130 points to narrowly edge No. 2 ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (132 points) and claim the seventh national title in program history. No. 8 SUNY-Geneseo (168) captured third place with No. 3 Wartburg (179) and No. 4 Washington University-St. Louis (200) rounding out the top five.
 
As is typical at a race with teams of this caliber, less than 30 points separated 15th from 22nd place in the team competition at this year's national meet.
 
Kassie Rosenbum of Loras College won the individual title with a time of 20:11.1.
 
"I'm excited about the future of this young squad and look forward to what lies ahead during track & field season," said Ricks.
 
Carleton Women's Cross Country All-Amercians
1981  --  Terry Jensen (22nd place) -- AIAW All-American
1987  --  Shelley Scherer (1st place)
1987  --  Anna Prineas (7th place)
1988  --  Anna Prineas (1st place)
1989  --  Elizabeth Carpino (13th place)
2004  --  Cassie Funke (22nd place)
2009  --  Simone Childs-Walker (11th place)
2009  --  Laura Roach (25th place)
2014  --  Ruth Steinke (4th place)
2015  --  Ruth Steinke (5th place)
2017  --  Meg Mathison (6th place)
2019  --  Amanda Mosborg (13th place)
2019  --  Clara Mayfield (30th place)
2021  --  Clara Mayfield (10th place)