COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. -- The 2014 Minnesota Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (MIAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships got
off to a record-setting start Thursday, as the meet opened with the
multi-event competitions. Carleton sophomore Amelia Campbell not
only won the pentathlon title, but her score of 3,914 now stands as
best score ever recorded in NCAA Division III, MIAC and Carleton
history.
Campbell was seeded first in the event, as she broke the MIAC
and Carleton record earlier this season with a score of 3,671,
which also ranked third in D-III history. However, she eclipsed
that mark Thursday at Saint John's McNeely Spectrum, winning all
five events with new personal-best marks and setting three new
Carleton school records in addition to the national/conference
overall record.
“To accomplish something like this as a sophomore is
totally incredible,” Carleton Head Coach Donna Ricks said in
a Knights' press release. “I don’t
want to say it was a once-in-a-lifetime event, but it’s
amazing to see someone pull it all together like this. She
accomplished an unbelievable feat. She put her heart and soul out
there tonight.”
| RESULTS: PENTATHLON - HEPTATHLON |
The MIAC men's heptathlon also began Thursday and, with four of
the seven events in the books, St. Thomas' Max Dunne (2,858) leads
the field with Gustavus' Cameron Clause (2,660) sitting in second
and another Tommie, Connor O'Neil (2,554) in third. The final three
events will be completed Friday starting at 10:30 a.m.
However, Campbell's performance shined brightest on a day of
outstanding efforts. She won the 60-meter hurdles in 8.88, tied for
first in the high jump by clearing the bar at 5-6, won the shot put
with a throw of 37-6.5, finished first in the long jump with a
distance of 18-3-.75 and completed her championship with a
first-place finish in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:21.61. All
five are new personal bests, and her 60-hurdle time and high jump
height are new Knights' records as well.
|
| Amelia
Campbell |
"I went into the 800 knowing that if I ran well I would break
the D-III record," Campbell said in a Carleton press release. "During the week,
Donna helped me put together a race structure. We didn't want the
possibility of breaking the record to cause me to go out too fast
on the first lap. The race strategy helped with that. We decided
that I should run on the heels of a strong runner from St.
Ben’s and then jump past. So I ran the second and third laps
with her, passed her on final lap, and took the energy from the
crowd to bring it home.”
The previous NCAA Division III record was 3,725, set by
Hardin-Simmons' Ashley Huston at the 2009 NCAA Championships.
Campbell's score would rank No. 1 in Division II and No. 32 in
Division I this season.
Campbell's record wasn't the only impressive performance in the
pentathlon, as two other MIAC student-athletes surpassed 3,300
points. St. Olaf's Dani Larson finished second with a score of
3,373, and Saint Benedict's Mandy Witschen was a close third at
3,321. Larson tied Campbell in the high jump, and finished fourth
in each of the other four events. Witschen was second in the
60-hurdles, long jump and 800, and finished fifth in the high jump
and shot put. All three will receive All-Conference honors for
their performances.
The next three finishers will all be named All-Conference
Honorable Mention. Hamline's Carolyn Saulsberry was fourth at
2,978, St. Olaf's Zoe Hanson finished fifth at 2,843 and Saint
Benedict's Kayti Helm finished sixth with a score of 2,805.
More than halfway through the heptathlon, Dunne's performance
has been nearly as dominant as Campbell's, as he finished first in
three events Thursday, and second in the other. Dunne finished
first in the 60-meter dash (7.21), the long jump (21-6.75) and the
shot put (42-7) and was the runner-up in the high jump
(6-0.75).
Gustavus' Clause also finished in the top five in each event
Thursday, coming in second in the high jump and long jump, third in
the 60 and fifth in the shot put. O'Neill finished first in the
only event Dunne didn't win, recording the best effort in the high
jump at 6-5.5, and he was fourth in the 60, sixth in the long jump
and 13th in the shot.
The heptathlon will conclude Friday beginning at 10:30 a.m. with
the 60-meter hurdles. Estimated times for the final two events are
11:20 a.m. for the pole vault, and 3 p.m. for the 1,000-meter run.
The 2014 MIAC Indoor Track and Field Championship will begin in
full Friday afternoon, starting with field events at 4 p.m. and
running events at 4:30 p.m.
The MIAC has a home
page dedicated to the 2014 Indoor Championships, complete
with venue and admission information, the event schedule, entries, heat sheets and links to follow the results live.
Results, recaps, and multimedia coverage of the championships will
be available throughout the event. There will be live results
available for all events courtesy of Apple Raceberry Jam and
Wayzata Timing and fans can also find entries and heat sheets on
the MIAC's event page as they become available.
Admission for the event is $7 for adults and $3 for students per
day, with children ages 5 and under admitted free. MIAC passes will
be honored. The MIAC would like to thank Saint John's University
and the College of Saint Benedict and their coaches and staff for
their efforts to host the event.
| 2014 MIAC Indoor Track and Field Home Page |