ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – In her first season with the College of Saint Benedict track and field team, Natalie Frier has been making quite a name for herself.
In the indoor season, Frier made her way into the top 10 in school history and earned All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors. In the first three meets of outdoor season, she has been equally as good.
Frier, a Chaska, Minn., native, made her way into the top 10 in school history in the first outdoor meet of her collegiate career in March. This past weekend, she vaulted into the top three. For her performance last week, Frier has been named the Blazer Athlete of the Week.
Frier’s latest great race came Friday afternoon at the Manitou Classic, hosted by St. Olaf in Northfield, Minn. She took second in the 100-meter hurdle preliminary race in 15.54 seconds – the best time of her career so far. In the finals, she improved on that mark even more.
Frier finished second in the 100 hurdle finals in 15.41 seconds – an all-time personal best and the third-best time in CSB outdoor history. Her time is also the third-fastest time in the MIAC to date.
Friday’s mark was nearly half a second faster than Frier’s previous best of 15.92 seconds, which had her at No. 10 in school history. She is currently less than one second away from the school record of 14.81 seconds, set in 2001 by Molly Miller.
Frier is also third in the school record books after her first indoor track and field season with the Blazers. She finished the 60-meter hurdles in 9.24 seconds at the CSB Invite this season, which puts her just shy of the school record of 9.12 seconds. Frier earned All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors in the 60 hurdles at the conference indoor championships, finishing fifth in 9.44 seconds.
Frier and the Blazers have two meets left before the MIAC Outdoor Championships. CSB is at the Macalester Invite this Saturday, April 25, and at the Tommie Twilight Wednesday, April 29. The conference championships run May 8-9 at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.
