CANTON, NY. (Blugolds.com) – Behind two individual and two relay national champion titles, the UW-Eau Claire women's track and field team posted their highest team finish in school history as they finished in second place at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by St. Lawrence University at the Merrick-Pickard Track and Field Complex.
The Blugolds earned 43 points to break a school record of most points scored at an outdoor national championship surpassing the previous school mark of 34.5 points set in 2009. UW-La Crosse won the outdoor championships with 73 points while Washington University (MO) finished third with 39 points.
The 4 x 100-meter relay team joining Kelsey Worachek (Fr.-Appleton, WI/Xavier), Jessie Reineck (Jr.-Greenville, WI/Fox Valley Lutheran), Lindsey Laufenberg (Sr.-Waunakee, WI) and Carly Fehler (Sr.-Oak Creek, WI) started the day on the right track by winning the school's first ever national title in the event with a time of 45.90 seconds. The time set a facility record and broke the previous school record of 46.19 seconds set on May 15, 2015 in La Crosse. It was the first time this year that any NCAA Division III women's 4 x 100-meter relay ran a sub 46-second relay.
Fehler continued her momentum by winning the 100-meter dash title in 11.67 seconds. The winning performance marked back-to-back 100-meter outdoor national championships for Fehler. She is the only woman in school history to win the 100-meter crown.
Fehler capped of her day and career by becoming the first 200-meter dash national champion in school history and doing so in record fashion. Fehler won the 200 finals in 23.88 seconds to break her own school record of 23.94 set at the WIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 2, 2015 in La Crosse.
The 4 x 400-meter relay squad of Reineck, Brooke Patterson (Sr.-Sussex, WI/Sussex-Hamilton), Glidden and Jessica Rupnow (Jr.-Sussex, WI/Sussex-Hamilton) capped off the outdoor championships with the school's first-ever national title in the 4 x 400-meter relay with a winning time of 3:50.31.
Sarah Glidden (So.-Greenville, WI/Hortonville) tied for 13th place in the high jump by clearing 5-4.25 (1.63 meters).
Lucy Ramquist (Sr.-River Falls, WI) concluded her Blugold career with a 14th-place finish in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 17:40.08.
It was an historic weekend for the women's track and field program. Not only did they set new school records in total team points and highest team finish but also broke three school records (heptathlon, 200-meter dash and 4 x 100-meter relay), won two individual (Carly Fehler in the 100 and 200) and two relay national titles (4 x 100 and 4 x 400).
-KCM-