BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Winona State concluded its showing at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships with another pair of outstanding performances on day two, as Alissa Rausch and the 4x400 meter relay team each took home fourth place finishes in their respective events Saturday in Birmingham.
The 4x400 meter relay team of Megan Seidl, Kelsey Bethke, Brittany Schyvinck and Catherine Whitcomb ran the best race of their careers on the biggest stage, clocking in with a time of 3:47.10 to break the school record in the event by more than two seconds and take home fourth place, just over two seconds behind the winning team from Southern Connecticut State.
Rausch also had a phenomenal performance in the Shot Put finals, exceeding her eighth-place seed to finish fourth as well. The senior opened the day tossing a throw of 48 1 ¼" – the best throw of any competitor after one attempt and was easily good enough to advance her to the finals after the field was narrowed from 17 to nine.
After falling to fifth after four throws, she responded with her best toss of the day, a 49' 7 ¼" heave that moved her back to fourth place and to the spot she'd finish. Sara Wells of Wayne State (Neb.) won the event with a throw of 54' 2 ¾" while Jamie Sindelar and Megan Tomei, both of Ashland, finished second and third.
As a team, the Warriors finished ninth – WSU's best-ever NCAA finish – with a program record 20 team points after going into the championship ranked 32nd in the nation. On day one, freshman Kaitlyn Long won the national championship in the weight throw while Rausch finished 12th in the event.
The six Warriors who competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships will officially find out Monday if they will earn All-American honors for their efforts.
