ST. PAUL, Minn. – With an individual title for Clara Mayfield (Sr./Manhattan, Kan./Manhattan) and eight other all-conference performances, the Carleton College women's track & field team is in second place after the first full day of competition at the 2023 MIAC Indoor Championships.
 
Carleton scored points in seven events on Saturday and now has 66.5 points, only 4.5 behind Bethel University.
 
Emily Litton (Sr./Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge) was one of the first Knights to compete and picked up some crucial team points as she tied for fifth in the pole vault, earning All-MIAC Honorable Mention. She cleared 2.90 meters on her first attempt that that height.
 
Helen Cross (Jr./Nederland, Colo./Nederland) and Hannah Preisser (Fy./Chapel Hill, N.C./Carrboro) placed second and third in the 5000-meter run. Both Knights took home All-MIAC status as they turned in personal-best times with the former at 17:03.15 and the latter at 17:05.02. The stacked lineup for this event saw the top-5 finishers all better the previous MIAC Championships record that had stood since 2011.
 
"Helen and Hannah did a tremendous job of working together throughout the meet, changing leads and pushing each other throughout the race," said Carleton head coach Donna Ricks.
 
The duo now ranks No. 4 and No. 5 Carleton's all-time performance list and moves them into the top-10 nationally. Sophie McManus (So./McCall, Idaho/McCall-Donnelly) took sixth place (17:50.10) and secured All-MIAC Honorable Mention. Her time moves her into No. 9 on Carleton's all-time list.
 
Mayfield won the mile run with a time of 4:50.20, breaking her own school record and besting the MIAC Championships record that had stood since 2010 by more than four seconds. She currently ranks No. 1 in the country. Mary Blanchard (Jr./Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell) was next across the line, finishing in 4:59.42, good for No. 7 on Carleton's all-time leaderboard.
 
"Mary Blanchard ran a smart race," Ricks said. "Realizing that the race had gone out aggressively, she stayed with her race plan as she moved up from fourth to second."
 
Nell Schafer (Sr./Oakland, Calif./Oakland Technical) added to Carleton's point total by finishing seventh at 5:29.42. All three Knights turned in personal-best times.
 
Nayeli Williams (So./Minneapolis, MInn./Brooklyn Center) clocked a time of 9.38 in the 60-meter hurdles prelims, then bettered that with a 9.35 in the finals to take fifth and earn All-MIAC Honorable Mention.
 
Hadley Twichell (Fy./Redwood City, Calif./Sacred Heart Prep) followed with a fifth-place finish in the 400-meter dash. She won her heat with a personal-best time of 1:00.93.
 
Celia Silverstein (Fy./Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y./Hastings) and Alice Cutter (Jr./New York, N.Y./Poly Prep Day School) scored points for the Knights in the 800-meter run. Silverstein nabbed All-MIAC Honorable Mention by placing fifth at a personal-best 2:22.89. Cutter finished seventh at 2:24.36.
 
Carleton's final points of the day came in the distance medley relay as Rainey Tilley (Sr./South Pasadena, Calif./South Pasadena), Jocelyn Ferguson (So./Minneapolis, Minn./Minneapolis South), Lara Erickson (So./Columbia Falls, Mont./Columbia Falls), and Aliya Larsen (Fy./Newport, Ore./Newport) combined on a time of 12:48.36, good for third place and all-conference status.
 
Up Next for the Knights
The final day of competition at the MIAC Indoor Championships gets underway with field events starting at 10:15 a.m. Racing on the track begins at 1:00 p.m.
 

All-MIAC performances for Carleton (1st-3rd place individual or relay…through Day 2)

5000-meter run
2. Helen Cross — 17:03.15
3. Hannah Preisser — 17:05.12
 
Mile Run
1. Clara Mayfield — 4:50.20 (MIAC Championships record)
2. Mary Blanchard — 4:59.42
 
Distance Medley Relay
3. Carleton (Rainey Tilley, Jocelyn Ferguson, Lara Erickson, Aliya Larsen) — 12:48.36
 

All-MIAC Honorable Mention performances for Carleton (4th-6th place individual or relay …through Day 2)

Pentathlon
4. Grace Blanchette — 2,899 points
 
5000-meter run
6. Sophie McManus — 17:50.10
 
60-meter hurdles
5. Nayeli Williams — 9.35
 
400-meter dash
5. Hadley Twichell — 1:00.93
 
800-Meter Run
5. Celia Silverstein — 2:22.89