Women's Cross Country David Pape, Carleton College Sports Information Department

Carleton women’s cross country accepts invitation to White House for NCAA College Champions Day

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College women's cross country program — winners of the NCAA Division III team title back in November — is headed to the nation's capitol to take part in the second annual White House College Champions Day.
 
The event, to be held on Monday, July 22, celebrates the 2023-24 women's and men's NCAA champion teams from all three NCAA divisions.
 
Carleton's traveling party will include 11 team members and the coaching staff. The Knights will be able to tour the White House before the ceremony, which is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. EDT on the South Lawn of the White House.
 
The ceremony will be live streamed at whitehouse.gov/live and on the White House YouTube channel.
 
"Having an invitation from the White House extended to our national champion women's cross country team is truly an honor," said Carleton head coach Donna Ricks. "This opportunity is a culmination of all their experiences as students and athletes, demonstrating that academics is first and foremost, while being able to achieve the highest pinnacle as athletes. We are grateful and humbled by the invitation, and our team would like to extend a special thank you to Carleton President Alison Byerly, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs Michelle Mattson, and our Athletic Director Heidi Jaynes for supporting this team and making this trip possible.
 
"This group of women have been on an incredible journey, and we are being granted the opportunity to ride one last wave together, to enjoy each other's company, and to reflect on a season that holds many incredible memories. What better place to have this take place than the White House in Washington, D.C. Representing Carleton, Division III, and women in athletics is powerful."
 
At the 2023 NCAA Division III Championships, Carleton was fourth with only 1,000 meters remaining in the race but finished strong to earn the first NCAA women's team title in school history.
 
The No. 2-ranked Knights posted a team score of 151 to edge top ranked NYU by three points. No. 5 University of Chicago was third at 156 points, and No. 6 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps took fourth at 158 points. With only seven points separating the top four teams, it was the closest finish in NCAA D-III Women's Cross Country Championships history.
 
The Knights did not lose to a Division III opponent all season. They took fourth at the season-opening Clash of the Inland Northwest, but the top three teams that day were NCAA D-I programs. Carleton did not enter a scoring contingent at its next race—the River Town Twilight—but had the individual champion that evening. The Knights won three more races, then captured the crown at the MIAC Championships and the NCAA North Regionals before making school history on the hilly, six-kilometer course at Big Spring High School in rural Pennsylvania.
 
"I have been asked many times how this team accomplished this feat," said Ricks. "My heart warms and I smile as they inquire about the workouts, race strategy, the talent on the team. All fair questions. What it really comes down to is the love and support they have given each other."