A Mix Of Track & Field On Day 1 At MIAC

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (2/22/19)---There was something for every Cobber track and field fan in the first day of the MIAC Indoor Championship Meet. Concordia had three athletes finish in the Top 5 and had five individuals score team points.

The five team point scorers and distance medley relay team helped Concordia earn 24 points after 11 events as the Cobber sit in eighth place heading into Day 2 at the conference indoor meet.

Sophomore middle distance runner Josie Herrmann led the way for the maroon and gold on Day 1. She came with the highest finish of any CC athlete as she was the runner-up in the 800 meters. Herrmann stayed with a pack of runners chasing the leader for the first two laps but then sprinted away from the group in the second 400 meters and cruised to the second-place finish. Herrmann crossed the line in a time of 2:17.60 which is a personal best time and the fifth fastest in school history.

The other Top 5 finish in track events came from the six races contested on the opening day came from junior Kara Andersen in the 5000 meters. Andersen stayed behind the lead pack for the first three-quarters of the race but then slowly crept up to get into the Top 5 at the finish line. Andersen crossed the tape in a time of 18:25.59 which was a PR and the third fastest in program history. It also put her in fifth place and scored four team points.  

Merritt Miller completed the team scoring totals from individual track events. She ran a 5:30.15 and finished eighth in the mile.

Junior Kelsey Rajewsky was the lone field athlete to crack the Top 5 on Day 1. Like Herrmann and Andersen, Rajewsky saved her season best for the conference meet. She also saved her best for her final attempt of the meet. Rajewsky qualified for the finals in the weight throw with a distance of 43-08.00 in the prelims. She then waited until her final toss to release a personal best mark of 46-03.50. Rajewsky was seeded seventh in the event and moved up to fifth place with her PR.

Sophomore Carly Fornshell rounded out the scoring quartet for the Cobbers. Fornshell placed sixth in the pentathlon which was held on Thursday. She scored 2,817 points which is a new personal best. Fornshell put up the fastest time among the 17 competitors in the event in the 800 meters. She ran a 2:28.16 which earned her 716 points – the highest total of any of the five events. Fornshell's only other 600-plus event was the opener when she ran a 10.17 in the 60-meter hurdles and scored 681 points.

The Cobber distance medley relay team of Miriah Forness, Fornshell, Isabel Fredrickson and Miller finished off the opening day at St. Olaf by clocking a 12:55.52 which was good for fifth place and the 11th fastest in program history.
 
UP NEXT: Concordia will finish off the 2019 MIAC Indoor Championship Meet at St. Olaf on Saturday, Feb. 23 starting at 11 a.m.

Team Scores After Day 1 at MIAC Championship Meet
1. St. Thomas - 97
2. Hamline - 69
3. Carleton - 46
4. St. Benedict - 43.5
5. Gustavus Adolphus - 41.5
6. Bethel (Minn.) - 34
7. St. Olaf - 32
8. Concordia-Moorhead - 24
9. St. Catherine - 16
10. Macalester - 13
11. Augsburg - 10
12. Saint Mary's (Minn) - 3