AMES, Iowa – Clara Mayfield (Jr./Manhattan, Kan./Manhattan) took full advantage of an opportunity to race against top talent at the Iowa State Classic. She finished sixth in her heat and 20th overall in the 5000-meter run with a time of 16:50.08. The 43-women field for the event included 38 NCAA Division I runners, three Division III racers, and a pair of Olympic Trials qualifiers. Ultimately, Mayfield finished ahead of 20 D-I racers.
 
"This was a valuable racing experience for Clara," said Carleton head coach Donna Ricks. "It wasn't the structure she was most comfortable with, however, she gained experience that will prepare her for the national championships.
 
"Competing against a field of D-I athletes, one would expect them to go out and lead the race, but that was not the case. It went out on a solid pace the first few laps, then slowed. No one wanted to take the lead, so Clara made the decision to go out front as her goal coming to this meet was to race a fast time."
 
During her heat, Mayfield ended up leading 6-of the-16 full laps run on the 300-meter track inside the Lied Recreation Athletic Facility.
 
In the day's second heat of the 5K, both Olympic Trial qualifiers—Madeline Strandemo and Dakotah Lindwurm—helped push the pace early for their fellow runners before both dropped out by the 3500-meter mark.
 
To make things consistent for national championships qualification, the NCAA converts times, like Mayfield's, that are run on an oversized track. In this case, her time converts to 16:57.86 to simulate it having been raced on a 200-meter track. That converted time is currently No. 6 in the nation this season and is less than a second off Ruth Steinke's school record (16:57.07 at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships), which is an impressive feat given that this was Mayfield's first indoor 5K race since the 2020 MIAC Championships.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton hosts the Meet of the Hearts on Saturday, Feb. 12. Competition begins at 11:00 a.m. Due to the high number of teams competing at the meet, outside spectators will not be permitted. Live results will be available online.