MANKATO, Minn. – The Carleton College women's track & field team took part in the Mark Schuck Open, a 17-team meet that included 12 NCAA Division II programs with three of those squads falling inside the national top 25. Additionally, seniors Sydney Marsh (Austin, Minn./Austin) and Eve Farrell (Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi) competed in the St. Olaf Pentathlon on Saturday.
 
The Knights finished eighth at the meet hosted by Minnesota State University-Mankato.
 
"The MSU meet provided a great opportunity for our team," said Carleton head coach Donna Ricks. "It had the feel of a championship meet, and our athletes gained valuable experience that will benefit their mental preparation as well as their physical prep.
 
"The sprinters took the opportunity to work on all aspects of their racing. The majority of them competed in the 60, 200, and 400-meter races. This provides the coaching staff the ability to focus and assess the training needs of each athlete this season."
 
Alice Cutter (So./New York, N.Y./Poly Prep Day School) and Phoebe Ward (So./Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Dobbs Ferry) turned in the top placements for Carleton, finishing third in the 800-meter run and 5000-meter run, respectively. Cutter registered a time of 2:26.20 in her event to rank fifth in the MIAC this season, while Ward crossed the line at 18:40.26, good for the third-fastest time in the conference this winter. Both Knights were the top D-III runners in their respective races.
 
Nayeli Williams (Fy./Minneapolis, Minn./Brooklyn Center) registered season-best times of 8.32 in the 60-meter dash, 27.65 in the 200-meter dash, and 9.82 in the 60-meter hurdles.
 
Jocelyn Ferguson (So./Minneapolis, Minn./Minneapolis South) clocked season bests in the 60-meter (8.36), 200 meter (27.57) and 400-meter races (1:00.53). Her 400-meter dash time is second in the MIAC so far this season.
 
At St. Olaf, Marsh finished third and is No. 21 in the country after scoring 2,833 points in her first pentathlon of the season. She registered the top distance in the long jump (5.17 meters).
 
Farrell was fourth at this meet and is No. 36 on the national list with 2,560 points. She cleared 1.53 meters in the high jump, tied for the second-best mark in the conference this year, and won the shot put with a heave of 9.46 meters.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will return to Mankato to take part in the Ted Nelson Classic on Saturday, Feb. 5.