Rock Island, Ill. - Junior Mary Blanchard finished ninth in the women's 800-meter run and Phoebe Ward turned in a new meet record as the only participant in the 10,000-meter run at the Augustana Midwest Twilight Qualifier on Wednesday night.  Competing in the fastest heat, Blanchard posted a time of 2:12.03.  

Blanchard got out to a strong start with a first lap of 1:03.63 to place her seventh at the midway point.  But a strong final lap from UW-Oshkosh's Cyna Madigan pushed Blanchard back to the eighth position in her heat and ninth in the final results as the junior finished with a final lap of 1:08.40 for a time of 2:12.03. 

The top seven in the event all posted times that cracked the top-25 on the season's 800m national performance list.  Washington University in St. Louis senior Danielle Schultz took the crown in a time of 2:08.63.  Blanchard's time of 2:12.03 finished just off the pace of her season best performance of 2:11.57 at last weekend's MIAC Championships.  She remains 25th on the Division III performance list. 

"It was fun to watch Mary compete tonight," mentioned Head Coach Donna Ricks.  "She got off the line and inserted herself into the race.  It went out aggressively and she really challenged herself in a difficult field." 

In one of the most difficult situations as a competitor, Phoebe Ward was the sole runner on the track for the night's final race - the 10,000-meter run.  Ward carried a strong start to attaining a new meet record with a time of 36:35.10, besting the previous record by nearly a full minute (37:26.83).  The finishing time was her second best of the season behind last weekend's 35:54.26 finish at the MIAC Championships.  That time currently ranks 30th on the Division III performance list. 

"Phoebe put forth a courageous effort running the 10k solo on the track this evening," raved Ricks.  "This endeavor defines Phoebe as it demonstrated the passion she has for running, a fitting way to compete her collegiate career.  Athletes often look to their coaches for inspiration, but Phoebe inspired me tonight!"