LOS ANGELES – In her first race of the outdoor season,
Clara Mayfield (Jr./Manhattan, Kan./Manhattan) broke the Carleton College women's track & field record for the 5,000-meter run as she clocked a time of 16:44.82 at the Bob Larsen Distance Carnival hosted by UCLA.
Mayfield finished second out of 12 runners in the fast heat of the 5K, which included six NCAA Division I racers and three more from Division II.
"Clara responded well to the level of competition and made the necessary moves when she needed to," said Carleton head coach
Donna Ricks.
After running in eighth place after the first 1000 meters, Mayfield moved up to the front of the pack after the next lap. She ran the last six laps in second place and demonstrated the speed that made her an indoor All-American in the mile as she split 75.33 on her final lap.
When Mayfield crossed the line, she had taken more than 19 seconds off her previous personal best in the event and broke the team record of 16:49.17 held by Ruth Steinke since April 15, 2016.
Earlier in the day,
Grace Blanchette (Jr./Honolulu , Hawaii/Punahou),
Sydney Marsh (Sr./Austin, Minn./Austin), and
Eve Farrell (Sr./Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi) wrapped up the heptathlon competition at Adams/Klein Combined Events hosted by Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif. The trio placed 16th, 19th, and 22nd, respectively, in a field that included NCAA Division I, II, and III student-athletes.
"I'm really excited about the overall experience the heptathletes gained at Westmont," said Ricks. "Personal bests were achieved, and they demonstrated a great deal of promise for this upcoming season."
Blanchette set new personal records in the high jump (1.48m), shot put (9.21m), javelin (31.95m), and 800m run (2:36.55) en route to a new personal best of 3,801 points. Her other marks were 17.71 in the 100-meter hurdles, 28.21 in the 200-meter dash, and 4.66 meters in the long jump
Marsh totaled 3,720 points, the second-highest total of her career. She clocked 18.03 in the hurdles, 1.42 meters in the high jump, 9.11 meters in the shot put, 28.03 in the 200-meter dash, 5.11 meters in the long jump, 24.40 meters in the javelin, and 2:34.14 in the 800-meter run.
Farrell battled through some sickness to tally 3,188 points. She set a new personal best of 18.51 in the 100-meter hurdles. She also measured 1.45 meters in the high jump, 8.63 meters in the shot put, 30.87 in the 200-meter dash, 4.18 meters in the long jump, 20.40 meters in the javelin, and 2:31.06 in the 800-meter run.
Up Next for the Knights
This Carleton quartet flies home for the start of spring term and will join their teammates in competing at the Hamline Invitational on Saturday, April 5 with a projected start time of 11:00 a.m.
