NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Day 2 of the MIAC Indoor Championships saw the Carleton College women's track & field team break two school records and two MIAC Championships records as the Knights produced 10 performances worthy of All-MIAC recognition or all-conference honorable mention.
 
The Knights are third among the 12 teams competing at this meet. Bethel leads with 73 points, followed by Saint Benedict (65 points), with Carleton (60.50), Gustavus (57.50) and St. Olaf (53) completing the top five.
 
"When it comes time for the MIAC Championships, a coach hopes their athletes are ready to respond to the competition, and this team did just that," said Carleton head coach Donna Ricks. "Right from the start, they demonstrated they were prepared and responded to the competition. Every one of our athletes stepped onto the track today and challenged themselves; as a result, personal bests were accomplished and the record board once again took a hit. I am so proud of this team.
 
"This team should be excited about their accomplishments today. !n order to finish strong in the MIAC, teams need to put together two solid days. I could not be more pleased with today's performance and have complete confidence that the team will once again strive to give their absolute best tomorrow."
 
Clara Mayfield (Jr./Manhattan, Kan./Manhattan) led wire-to-wire in winning the mile run. She broke not only the facility record, but also the school record and the conference meet record with her time of 4:52.70. That currently ranks No. 5 in the country. Mary Blanchard (So./Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) and Helen Cross (So./Nederland, Colo./Nederland) also registered new personal bests as they scored points in the team competition. Blanchard earned all-conference honorable mention with her fifth-place result, Cross took seventh at 5:14.41.
 
Katherine Geist (So./Crookston, Minn./Crookston) bested her own school record in taking third place in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:14.72. Lara Erickson (Fy./Columbia Falls, Mont./Columbia Falls) and Alice Cutter (So./New York, N.Y./Poly Prep Day School) also had personal bests in the vent. Erickson took fifth place at 2:21.73 to earn All-MIAC honorable mention, while Cutter added to the team score with her seventh-place time of 2:24.80.
 
The other record-breaking result came in the distance medley relay. Libby Rowland (Fy./Tulsa, Okla./Holland Hall), Ineke Cordova (Sr./Denver, Colo./Denver Christian), Amy Kropp (Sr./Logan, Utah/Logan), and Mayfield combined to cover the 4000 meter total in 12:22.44, good for a new Rec Center record and a MIAC Championships record.
 
Nayeli Williams (Fy./Minneapolis, Minn./Brooklyn Center) won her prelim heat of the 55-meter hurdles at 8.74, then posted a time of 8.79 in the finals as she finished fifth to earn All-MIAC Honorable Mention. She added another fifth-place result in the long jump with her new personal record of 5.27 meters on her last jump of the competition. That distance moves Williams into fourth place on the program's all-time list.
 
Phoebe Ward (So./Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Dobbs Ferry) contributed to the Carleton point total with her seventh-place finish in the 5000-meter run at 18:11.00, blasting her previous personal best by more than 19 seconds.
 
Jocelyn Ferguson (So./Minneapolis, Minn./Minneapolis South) added a fifth-place showing the 400-meter dash. She crossed the line at 1:00.79
 
The high jump saw Eve Farrell (Sr./Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi) place eighth in the high jump at 1.46 meters.
 
On Thursday, the Knight's had all three of their entrants in the pentathlon land in the scoring column. Grace Blanchette (Jr./Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou) took third place at 2,772 points and with it all-conference honors. Sydney Marsh (Sr./Austin, Minn./Austin) finished sixth at 2,735 points, while Farrell took eighth place at 2,570 points.
 
"The multi's did outstanding," said Carleton Ricks. "it has been quite some time since Carleton has had three pentathletes score in the MIAC Championships. Often an event that is not seen by many, however, takes hours and years of preparation. These three women do it for the love of sport and the challenge it brings."
 
The final day of competition at the MIAC Championships begins with field events at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday with running events starting at 1:00 p.m.
 
 
All-MIAC performances for Carleton (1st-3rd place individual, 1st place relay…through Day 2)
Mile Run
1. Clara Mayfield — 4:52.70 — facility record, school record, and MIAC Championships record
 
800-meter run
3. Katherine Geist — 2:14.72 — school record
 
Distance Medley Relay
1. Carleton (Libby Rowland, Ineke Cordova, Amy Kropp, Clara Mayfield) — 12:22.44 — Facility record and MIAC Championships record
 
All-MIAC Honorable Mention performances for Carleton (4th-6th place individual, 2nd-6th place relay…through Day 2)
Pentathlon
5. Grace Blanchette – 2,772 points
6. Sydney Marsh – 2,735 points
 
55-meter hurdles
5. Nayeli Williams — 8.79
 
Mile Run
5. Mary Blanchard — 5:12.78
 
400-meter dash
5. Jocelyn Ferguson — 1:00.79
 
800-meter run
5. Lara Erickson — 2:21.73                
 
Long Jump
5. Nayeli Williams — 5.27 meters