DES MOINES, Iowa – Three members of the Carleton College women's track & field team– Mary Blanchard, Sophie McManus, and Helen Cross–raced at the prestigious Drake Relays on Thursday evening.  Additionally, Neenah Bossman took part in the hammer throw at the Janis Rider/Doug Bolstorff Invitational in St. Paul, Minn.
 
Blanchard ran in the unseeded 800-meter race at Drake, placing 10th at a season-best 2:12.16. She finished ahead of 12 NCAA Division I racers in the 25-runner field.
 
McManus clocked her third new personal best of the season for the steeplechase. She reached the line at 10:53.57, placing 24th out of 32 finishers. This was more than a six-second improvement from her previous PR and moved McManus into fourth on Carleton's all-time performance list. Fifteen of the 23 runners to finish ahead of her compete for NCAA Division I programs.
 
Likewise, Cross also moved into fourth place in Carleton annals for the 5,000-meter run. She clocked a new PR of 16:52.55 in the unseeded heat, smashing her previous personal best by more than 38 seconds. She finished ahead of 10 NCAA Division I runners in the event.
 
Meanwhile, Bossman measured 42.92 meters in the hammer throw, placing seventh out of 41 entrants at the meet hosted by Macalester College.
 
Up Next for the Knights
The rest of the roster will compete on Saturday, April 27 on Day 2 of the Janis Rider/Doug Bolstorff Invitational. Field events begin at 10:00 a.m. with racing on the track starting an hour later.