ResultsMINNEAPOLIS, MINN. – It was a day filled of top times and personal records for the St. Catherine University Track and Field team. Several Wildcats set personal best times and toppled top-10 times in program history in Saturday's Minnesota Parents Day Challenge.
Once again, the St. Kate's distance runners continued to excel at the Challenge, including two that are becoming regulars in St. Kate's top-10 times.
Rachel Hall's (Mendota Heights, Minn.) fantastic indoor season continued at the Minnesota Parents Day Challenge. One week after recording the No.3 top-time in the 1000 meter run, the junior recorded yet another top time in the 600 meter run Saturday afternoon. Hall finished sixth in the race with a final time of 1:39.41, which is, once again, No. 3 all-time in the top-10 times in program history.
Courtney Kirkeide (Greenbush, Minn. / Greenbush-Middle River) also continued to have success in her races. Kikeide ran the 1000 meter race in 3:11.01, which was both a personal best and top-10 time in St. Kate's history. The junior now holds a top-10 time in both the 1000 and 3000 races after the first four meets of the indoor season.
Stacey Wherley (Osceola, Wis. / Osceola) was another Wildcat distance runner that set a personal record at the Minnesota Parents Day Challenge. The sophomore finished the race with a personal best time of 2:35.79, which was almost four seconds faster than her previous personal best. Her teammate
Ellie Cardinal (Burnsville, Minn. / Eastview) was not far behind. Cardinal won her heat with a season best time of 2:40.68, and finished just two places behind teammate Wherley.
The Wildcats distance success continued in the mile, where both Cardinal and
Jackie Brine-Doyle (Merrifield, Minn. / Pequot Lakes) set personal times. Brine-Doyle finished with a season best time of 5:47.18, and Cardinal was just a few paces behind her with a time of 5:51.57.
In addition to having success at the individual level, the St. Kate's Distance Medley team was the top team in the Distance Medley relay. The team of Kirkeide,
Megan Thoemke (White Bear Lake, Minn. / Mahtomedi),
Marie Morrier (Hudson, N.H. / Academy for Science and Design) and Hall finished with a time of 13:15.18, which was 37 seconds faster than the second place finisher. More impressively, though, the team finished with the sixth best time in program history.
Several sprinters and short distance runners also set personal records and season best times at the Minnesota Parents Day Challenge. Junior
Shakeela Wells-Johnson placed fourth in the 60 meter dash with a time of 8.03. Her teammates
Sydia Reeves (Vadnais Heights, Minn. / North St. Paul),
Ici Kelley (Robbinsdale, Minn. / St. Louis Park), and
Maita Lee (Little Canada, Minn. / Roseville) recorded personal best times of 8.81, 9.68, and 9.71 respectively.
Ashleigh Ackley (Gilby, N.D. / Grand Forks Central) and Reeves recorded personal best times in the 200 meter dash. Ackley finished the race with a time of 19.66 while Reeves finished with a time of 30.30.
The Wildcats return to the track next Friday at 4:30 p.m. for Macalester's Kilt Classic, which will be their last regular season meet before the MIAC Indoor Track and Field Championships.
