WAVERLY, Iowa/LA CROSSE, Wis. – Seven members of the St. Olaf College women's track and field team competed at NCAA Final Qualifiers at Wartburg College and UW-La Crosse on Friday and Saturday.
First year
Claire Stein, senior
Isabel Wyatt, first year
Cora DenHartog, first year
Annika Walsh, and sophomore
Izzi Jaeckle all were in action at Wartburg on Friday and Saturday, while senior
Ashlyn Jore and first year
Svea Frantzich traveled to La Crosse for the long jump. The two meets served as the final opportunities for student-athletes to qualify for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, with the top 20 performances in the country qualifying for the national meet.
Stein entered the pentathlon looking to better her No. 17 qualifying score in the country but pulled out of the competition after four events when she had no chance to better her position nationally. The first year was fifth in the 60-meter hurdles (9.19) and fourth in the long jump (5.27m, 17' 3 ½") to sit 10th in the field before exiting the competition prior to the 800-meter run.
On Saturday, Wyatt took third in the 800-meter run with a season-best time of 2:12.61, which was the third-fastest indoor time of the senior's career. Wyatt began the weekend sitting No. 18 in the country in the event with a converted time of 2:12.44 from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Indoor Track & Field Championships last week. First year
Cora DenHartog was less than three-tenths of a second shy of her personal-best time by finishing 16th in 2:16.71.
Needing a PR to enter the top 20 nationally, Walsh tied for sixth in the high jump by clearing 1.58 meters (5' 2 ¼") before going out on 1.63 meters (5' 4 ¼"). The first year held the No. 26 spot nationally to start the weekend (1.65m, 5' 5"). Jaeckle won her heat of the 400-meter dash and was fifth overall (58.10) to tie her season-best time from the Gopher Classic on Feb. 7.
In La Crosse, Jore took third in the long jump with a mark of 5.58 meters (18' 3 ¼") on her sixth and final jump. The school record-holder was looking to improve on her No. 28 national rank in the event coming in (5.63m, 18' 5 ¾") and needed to surpass her record jump to break into the top 20. Frantzich was eighth in the event with a mark of 5.30 meters (17' 4 ¾") on her fifth attempt.
The qualifiers for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships will be announced on Sunday, March 8.
