CHENEY, Wash. – The Carleton College women's cross country team, ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division III this season, finished fourth out of eight teams at the Clash of the Inland Northwest. The Knights trailed a trio of Division I programs, two of which are regionally ranked.
 
Carleton finished with a team score of 96. Gonzaga (16 points), host Eastern Washington (59), and Idaho (82) earned the top three spots on the podium.
 
"I was very pleased with this first race," said Carleton head coach Donna Ricks. "It provided a new experience as most of our athletes have never raced a 4K… plus a new course is always fun! It's also exciting is to see some strong pack running. This will be key for our team this year."
 
Sophie McManus ran a tremendous race, finishing 14th overall out of 90 finishers. She was the first D-III athlete to cross the line, doing so with a time of 14:35.2.
 
Phoebe Ward (15:01.5), Hannah Preisser (15:03.1), and Helen Cross (15:03.6) finished 25th, 27th, and 28th overall, respectively. Newcomer Katie Hirsche was 35th at 15:12.0 to round out the Knights' scoring.
 
"Phoebe Ward came on strong last season, contributing overall to the team's success. She demonstrated once again today that she is ready to have some fun and compete," Ricks said.
 
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton will race at the WIAC Preview meet on Friday, Sept. 8 in Prescott, Wis.