ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Senior Julia Cordes won the individual title in the pole vault to help the St. Olaf College women's track and field team to a lead in the team standings on the first day of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Friday at Bethel University's Royal Stadium.

Cordes won the pole vault in a jump off to become St. Olaf's first outdoor conference champion in the event since Amie Fillmore in 2008-09. The performance was one of six All-MIAC showings for St. Olaf on the opening day of the meet, as the Oles racked up 76 points in the team standings to open up a 16-point lead of the second-place College of Saint Benedict.

Cordes was one of three competitors to clear 3.20 meters (10' 6") in the pole vault and got into a jump-off with Jessica Lillland of Bethel after the pair were even on misses. The senior missed the first height in the jump-off but won the title after Lilland had to pull out due to an injury. Cordes' clearance tied her PR that ranks seventh on St. Olaf's all-time list in the event, as she earned All-MIAC honors for the first time in her career. Junior Melanie Roberts backed up her Honorable Mention All-MIAC finish in the event indoors with another one outdoors by placing fourth (3.00m, 9' 10").

St. Olaf gained 14 points from four different scorers in the 1,500-meter run, led by a runner-up finish from senior Christine Albrecht in 4:38.20. Albrecht gathered All-MIAC honors for the second time after doing so in the 3,000-meter steeplechase last year. First year Ella Landis, junior Bella Call, and first year Grace Moeller also scored in sixth (4:47.18), seventh (4:48.16), and eighth (4:48.94), respectively.

Junior Aleah Keske claimed her first All-MIAC accolade by placing second in the shot put (12.70m, 41' 8"). The junior was second after the third round and maintained that position, logging her best throw on her fourth attempt. The quartet of Landis, junior Sophie Call, sophomore Jules Fromm, and sophomore Sophie Abernethy ran to All-MIAC honors in the 4x800-meter relay with a runner-up finish in 9:35.49.

Senior Annika Muller added another All-MIAC accolade to her resume with a second-place finish in the long jump (5.53m, 18' 1 3/4"). The senior took the lead on her third jump before Journey Amundsen of Macalester College edged her by half an inch with her fifth-round jump.

The Oles also had three in the top five in the 10,000-meter run, led by an All-MIAC performance from sophomore Alison Bode in third (36:17.82), as she improved one spot from last season. Classmate Sofia Carlson placed fourth (37:28.52) and first year Lauren Walda was fifth (38:11.40), as the pair both secured Honorable Mention All-MIAC laurels.

St. Olaf also had six individuals qualify for Saturday's finals on the track, including senior Rebekah Salfer in both hurdles events and junior Karla Kroschel in both the 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash. Salfer's time of 15.03 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles moved her up from fifth to second on St. Olaf's all-time list, while her time of 1:04.88 in the 400-meter hurdles slid her into eighth.

Day two of the MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships gets going with field events at noon and track events at 1:30 p.m.