ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern Women's Track and Field team continued its indoor season with a full squad at the Vanessa Seljeskog Classic, hosted by Macalester College on Saturday afternoon.
Senior Emery Maki (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) turned in the top performance of the meet for the Eagles, placing fourth in the 1000-meter run with a personal-record time of 3:06.27, finishing just one second behind the event winner. Her time also set a new program record for the indoor 1000 meters, which was previously held by Maki, set last February. Mariah Klippenes (South Haven, Minn./Annandale) joined Maki in the event, finishing 18th with a time of 3:28.49.
Lily Hubbard (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) recorded a strong showing in the high jump, finishing fifth after successfully clearing each height on her first attempt before scratching at 1.50 meters. Hubbard's top clearance of 1.45 meters (4'9") secured her placement. She also competed in the 60-meter preliminaries and the 200-meter dash, finishing 49th in the 60 with a time of 9.29 seconds and 51st in the 200 at 32.03 seconds.
Katie Shilts (Cameron, Wis./Cameron) competed in a similar trio of events, beginning with the triple jump, where she recorded a personal-best leap of 10.02 meters (32'10.5") to place eighth. She followed with 33rd-place finishes in both the 60 meters with a time of 8.61 and the 200 meters with a time of 28.87.
Alaina Wojtowski (Oshkosh, Wis./Valley Christian) made her collegiate debut in the sprints, finishing 20th in the 60 meters with a time of 8.27 seconds and placing 26th in the 200 meters at 28.53 seconds. Jessica Morrone (Phillips, Wis./Phillips) also competed in the 60 meters, finishing 45th with a time of 9.09 seconds.
Lidia Castro (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South) also opened her collegiate career in the 400 and 200-meter races. Castro placed 14th in the 400 meters with a time of 68.31 seconds and added a 40th-place finish in the 200 meters, crossing the line in 29.57 seconds.
Running in the 800-meter race, Kimberlyn Case (Sleepy Eye, Minn./Litchfield) turned in a time of 2:42.14 for an 18th-place finish.
Three Eagles competed in the mile run, earning 37th, 41st, and 44th place finishes. Jessica Redman (Beaver Dam, Wis./Beaver Dam) led the group in her first collegiate meet, posting a time of 6:06.39. Samary Acuna (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) followed with a personal-record time of 6:09.88, while Torah Barrett (Belle Plaine, Minn./Jordan) rounded out the event with a time of 6:13.96.
In the 3000 meters, Natalie Van De Riet (Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville), Caroline Stokes (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove), and Cheyanne Scalese (Lancaster, Minn./Lancaster Public) finished within a 16-second span. Van De Riet led Northwestern with an 18th-place finish in 11:40.23. Stokes followed five seconds later at 11:45.03, and Scalese placed 24th with a time of 11:56.22.
The meet concluded with the 4x400-meter relay, where Maki, Morrone, Redman, and Case combined for a 15th-place finish in 4:34.71.
The Northwestern women will return to competition on Friday, January 30, at the CSB Invitational in St. Joseph.
