ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict track and field team opens the heart of its outdoor schedule on Saturday, competing at the Gene Glader Classic at the Sports and Recreation Center in St. Paul, Minn., with Bethel serving as host.

Approximately 18 teams are expected to compete. Running events begin at 10:30 a.m. with the 3,000-meter steeplechase, followed by the 4x100-meter relay and a full slate of races. Field events will also get underway in the morning. Click here for live scoring.

Following the meet, the Bennies will travel to the Rider/Bolstorff Invitational, hosted by Macalester at Macalester Stadium on April 25.

Season Review -

Bennies Shine at CSB/SJU Optimistic Invitational

Saint Benedict opened the outdoor season in impressive fashion, claiming two relay titles — including a meet record — and totaling 18 top-five finishes at the CSB/SJU Optimistic Invitational, held in cold and windy conditions at Clemens Stadium. The 4x400-meter relay team of Taylor Dean (Hutchinson, Minn.), Lauren Berg (Bemidji, Minn.), Anna Schottler (Chanhassen, Minn.) and Macy Piechowski (Winona, Minn.) set a meet record with a winning time of 4:06.31. A second CSB quartet of Taylor Radaich (Prior Lake, Minn.), Anabella Witschen (Monticello, Minn.), Tiffany Dean (Hutchinson, Minn.) and Brooke Verkinnes (St. Cloud, Minn.) added depth with a fifth-place finish (4:18.07). The Bennies also captured the 4x100-meter relay, as Grace Buntrock (Rochester, Minn.), Anna Gries (Minneapolis, Minn.), Myah Nelson (Brainerd, Minn.) and Bella Lund (Mound, Minn.) posted a winning time of 50.69. Lund added standout individual performances, placing second in the 100 meters (12.58) and fourth in the 200 meters (26.77), just ahead of Allee Feldman (Buffalo, Minn.), who finished fifth (26.92). In the 400 meters, first-year Schottler made an impressive collegiate debut, finishing second in 59.44. In the field events, Allison Banse (Mankato, Minn.) placed second in the shot put (11.98m / 39-3.75), while Sabriya Farquharson (Nassau, Bahamas) took second in the long jump (5.45m / 17-10.75). Juslene Chea (St. Michael, Minn.) led CSB in the 100-meter hurdles with a fifth-place finish (16.49). The Bennies dominated the 3,000-meter steeplechase, sweeping the top six spots. Daphne Grobstein (Golden Valley, Minn.) led the group with a third-place time of 11:56.59, followed by Lauren Masica (Orono, Minn.) in fourth (13:25.29).

Bennies Win Four Titles at Hamline

Saint Benedict followed with a strong showing at the Hamline Invitational, earning four event titles and 17 top-five finishes against primarily Division III competition. Jaylyn Ahlberg (Shoreview, Minn.) led the way with a victory in the pole vault, clearing a season-best 3.35m (10-11.75). Lili Raidt (Waconia, Minn.) matched the height to place second, while McKenna Flinn (Redwood Valley, Minn.) took fourth (3.20m / 10-6). Farquharson highlighted the horizontal jumps with a win in the triple jump (11.01m / 36-1.50). Gries finished second (10.44m / 34-3), and Hannah Scharnberg (Fergus Falls, Minn.) placed fourth (10.09m / 33-1.25). Farquharson also added a seventh-place finish in the long jump (4.90m / 16-1). On the track, Mary Kenney (St. Paul, Minn.) delivered a dominant performance in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, winning in a season-best 11:23.42 as CSB claimed six of the top seven places. Witschen (Monticello, Minn.) placed third with a personal-best 11:44.90, followed by Julia Babineau (Andover, Minn.) in fourth (12:10.42) and Bailey Link (Brush, Colo.) in fifth (13:15.85). 

Kiera Stommes (Eden Valley, Minn.) secured the fourth title, winning the high jump with a season-best clearance of 1.53m (5-0.25), while Drea Terwedo (LeSueur, Minn.) finished third (1.50m / 4-11). In the javelin, Parker Pollis (Richfield, Minn.) placed second to lead the Bennies, with Emily Koch (Otsego, Minn.) finishing third (29.06m / 95-4) and Katherine Hubers (Northfield, Minn.) seventh (25.18m / 82-7). Banse added a pair of fifth-place finishes with season-best marks in the discus (35.24m / 115-7) and shot put (12.06m / 39-6.75), while Quinn Paulsen (Waconia, Minn.) recorded a career-best 10.92m (35-10) to place seventh in the shot put. The 4x100-meter relay team of Buntrock, Gries, Nelson and Lund finished second with a season-best time of 50.03. Individually, Berg placed fourth in the 400-meter hurdles (1:05.04), and Dean posted a personal-best 2:24.00 to finish fourth in the 800 meters.

Indoor Season Recap

The outdoor campaign follows a fifth-place finish (76.5 points) at the MIAC Indoor Championships, where the Bennies recorded six All-MIAC performances. Ahlberg captured the conference title in the pole vault (3.53m), while Raidt tied for second. Chea finished second in the 55-meter hurdles, Banse took third in the shot put, and Farquharson earned top-three finishes in both the triple and long jumps. Additional honorable mention All-MIAC honors went to Berg (600- and 800-meter runs), Stommes (high jump), Flinn (pole vault) and Chea (triple jump), rounding out a balanced indoor season as CSB transitions fully into outdoor competition.