ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Twelve members of the St. Olaf College men's and women's track and field teams began their outdoor seasons at the WashU Distance Carnival on Thursday and Friday at Bushyhead Track.

Eight members of the men's team and four from the women's team competed at the two-day meet, while junior Peter Bambakidis represented the Oles at the Bob Kahn Invitational in Oberlin, Ohio to kick off St. Olaf's outdoor season.

At WashU, junior Alison Bode, junior Sofia Carlson, and sophomore Grace Moeller all logged top-30 times in the country in their respective distance events for the Ole women. Bode was 28th overall and fifth among NCAA Division III runners in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 17:27.54, which currently stands 16th nationally. Carlson placed 35th overall and eighth among NCAA Division III competitors in 17:35.24, which sits 26th in the country.

Moeller was the lone Ole to compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and took 22nd overall in 11:31.20, a time that ranks 24th in NCAA Division III. Junior Cate Gleason joined Bode and Carlson in the 5,000-meter run and finished 148th (2:20.38).

Senior Will Kelly led seven Oles in the men's 5,000-meter run with a 19th-place performance in 14:29.43, which ranks 21st nationally and was the eighth-best time by an NCAA Division III runner at the meet. Sophomore Kevin Turlington placed 25th overall in 14:41.95 and cracked St. Olaf's all-time top-10 list in the event in 10th place in the process.

Junior Andrew Skemp was St. Olaf's lone runner in the 10,000-meter run and moved up one spot to fifth on the program's all-time list in the event after finishing 31st in 30:39.76. That time stands 22nd in NCAA Division III.

At Oberlin, Bambakidis took fifth in the javelin throw in his first collegiate meet in the event with a mark of 40.13 meters (131' 8").

Both St. Olaf teams travel to Decorah, Iowa for the Norse Invite at Luther College on Saturday, April 6.