From Washington University Athletics/Photos by Marco Quaroni
The Washington University in St. Louis women's track & field team leads the field after day one of the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships as the Bears totaled three All-American finishes at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
The WashU women have 19 combined points and are just ahead of Ithaca (18), University Massachusetts Boston (16), MIT (14) and Otterbein (12) who rounded out the top-five.
Pole Vault (Finals)
The WashU women scored six points during their first event as junior Heidi Nassos posted a personal-best height, 3.90m, in the pole vault to take third place. She earned the first All-American finish of her career. Freshman Julia Dannenbaum nearly matched her personal-best mark with a clearance of 3.75m in pole vault to just miss the All-American cut by placing ninth.
800m (Prelims)
Senior Annalise Wagner earned a spot in Saturday's finals by placing second in the second heat with a time of 2:11.86. The 800m final is scheduled on Saturday at 3:40 p.m., which Wagner will be seeded third. Freshman Sophie Grigaux placed sixth in the second heat and 12th overall out of 17 competitors to qualify for nationals with a time of 2:16.05.
5,000m (Prelims)
Sophomore Paige Lawler placed fourth overall for her first track & field All-American honor of her career, after earning All-American honors during the cross country season. She finished the distance in 16:41.26 which is a school record mark.
4x400m Relay (Prelims)
The women's 4x400m relay team was full of underclassmen as three of the four members were first year student-athletes. Freshmen Sophie Grigaux, Rachel Novick and Elle Hansen teamed up with sophomore Sara Mesiano to place 11th with a time of 4:00.05.
Distance Medley Relay
Senior Audrey Western filled in for the Bears in the 1,200m opening leg, for an ill-stricken Bear and helped lead WashU to a second-place finish and All-American honor. Western paired with the national qualifying members sophomore Nicky Althoff, senior Annalise Wagner and senior Alison Lindsay to post a school record 11:41.24.
ALL-AMERICANS
Nicky Althoff - Distance Medley Relay (11:41.24, second)
Paige Lawler – 5,000m (16:41.26, fourth)
Alison Lindsay – Distance Medley Relay (11:41.24, second)
Heidi Nassos – Pole Vault (3.90m, third)
Annalise Wagner – Distance Medley Relay (11:41.24, second)
Audrey Western - Distance Medley Relay (11:41.24, second)