NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The No. 23-ranked St. Olaf College women's cross country team won its 10th Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) team title – its first conference crown since 2010 - by edging crosstown-rival and No. 22-ranked Carleton by six points on Saturday morning.
Competing on its home course, St. Olaf had four of the top-eight individual finishers on its way to claiming the team title and ending the Knights' run of three-straight conference championships. The Oles previously won conference titles in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2010.
Senior
Ellen Mickelson, sophomore
Julia Everest, first year
Sofia Carlson, sophomore
Bella Call, and senior
Samantha Posey all earned All-MIAC honors for the first time by finishing in the top 15. The Oles had seven individuals among the top-24 finishers overall.
Mickelson, who was an Honorable Mention All-MIAC honoree in 2019, led the way for St. Olaf in third place with a season-best time of 22:51.7. Everest, Carlson, and
Bella Call finished 6-7-8 and were separated by 1.4 seconds and Posey crossed the line in 13th to help the Oles clinch the title.
Carlson's time of 23:10.4 was the best 6K time of her collegiate career as was Posey's time of 23:27.1. First year
Alison Bode (23:46.7) and sophomore
Sophie Call (24:01.4) placed 21st and 24th, respectively, to collect Honorable Mention All-MIAC honors.
St. Olaf won the meet with a total of 37 points, six clear of Carleton, which had two of the top-four and three of the top-10 individuals. The Knights' top-three finishers accounted for 15 points compared to 16 for the Oles, but St. Olaf's depth paid off as the No. 4 and No. 5 finishers were a combined seven places ahead of Carleton's.
Fiona Smith of Saint Benedict claimed the individual title in 21:29.91, which was the third-fastest 6K time in the history of the conference meet. Smith was a little over 10 seconds ahead of Clara Mayfield of Carleton.
After competing in the annual Great Karhu Shoe Race at Carleton on Thursday, Nov. 4, the Oles will head to the NCAA Division III North Region Championships in Colfax, Wis. on Saturday, Nov. 13.
