ST. PAUL, Minn. – Behind six event titles, six runner-up finishes, and 25 top-five performances, the College of Saint Benedict track and field team delivered a dominant, well-rounded showing to capture the Janis Rider/Doug Bolsdorff Invitational, hosted by Macalester, on April 24–25.

The Bennies piled up 163 team points to secure the meet title, finishing well ahead of Division II Concordia-St. Paul, which placed second with 88 points. Carleton rounded out the top three with 76 points.

In the relays,  the Bennies opened with a runner-up finish in the 4x100-meter relay, as Juslene Chea (St. Michael, Minn.), Morgan Hanlin, and Sabriya Farquharson  (Nassau, Bahamas) combined for a time of 50.09. Later CSB had a victory in the 4x400-meter relay, where Taylor Dean (Hutchinson, Minn.), Taylor Radaich (Prior Lake, Minn.), Anna Schottler (Chanhassen, Minn.) and Anabella Witschen (Monticello, Minn.) took first in 4:10.86. The Bennies had a second team place fourth in the 4x400-meter relay, clocking 4:19.73 with a team of Tiffany Dean (Hutchinson, Minn.), Lydia Knight (Sartell, Minn.), Joel Makem Ratzinger (Shakopee, Minn.) and Mariah Brooks (Rochester, Minn.).

CSB also made its mark in the hurdles, placing three athletes in the top six of the 100-meter hurdles. Chea led the way with a winning time of 15.28, while junior Anya Adelgren (Saint Paul, Minn.)  finished fifth in a season-best 16.67 and first-year Morgan Hanlin (Red Wing, Minn.) placed sixth in 16.70.

Sophomore Anna Gries (Minneapolis, Minn.) captured the long jump title with a career-best leap of 5.56 meters (18-03.00), a mark that ranks 26th in Division III. CSB placed three in the top five, as Farquharson finished fourth with a jump of 5.25 meters (17-02.25) and Chea  took fifth. Farquharson won the triple jump with a mark of 11.00 meters (36-01.25), leading another strong showing for the Bennies. Chea placed second at 10.96 meters (35-11.50), and first-year Hannah Scharnberg (Fergus Falls, Minn.) finished fifth with a jump of 10.35 meters (33-11.50).

First-year Bella Lund (Mounds, Minn.) delivered a standout sprint performance, placing second in the 100-meter with a personal-best time of 12.58. She added a third-place finish in the 200-meter, clocking another personal best of 26.36.

In the middle-distance events, CSB placed two runners in the top six of the 800-meter. Junior Taylor Radaich (Prior Lake, Minn.) finished fifth in a personal-best 2:17.45, followed by Witschen, who placed sixth with a personal-best 2:22.49. In the 1,500-meter, senior Mary Kenney (Saint Paul, Minn.) took second in 4:49.89, while first-year Daphne Grobstein (Golden Valley, Minn.) was seventh in 4:54.05.

The 400-meter events also saw strong finishes from CSB student-athletes. Brooks placed third in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 1:11.48, while Makem Ratzinger finished eighth in 1:13.79. In the open 400-meter, first-year Taylor Dean led the Bennies with a fourth-place, personal-best finish of 1:00.61, and Tiffany Dean added an eighth-place finish in 1:03.26.

In the field events, first-year Reese Laposky placed fifth in the javelin with a throw of 31.91 meters (104-08), while sophomore Allison Banse (Mankato, Minn.) finished seventh at 29.67 meters (97-04). Banse also took fourth in the shot put with a mark of 12.55 meters (41-02.25), just shy of her season best.

In the pole vault, senior Jaylyn Ahlberg (Shoreview, Minn.) led the way with a second-place finish at 3.36 meters (11-00.25), while Lilia Raidt (Waconia, Minn.) placed fifth at 3.21 meters (10-06.25).
The high jump rounded out the meet with another strong group performance. Drea Terwedo (LeSueur, Minn.) led the Bennies with a second-place finish at 1.50 meters (4-11.00). First-year Reese Laposky (Pequot Lakes, Minn.) also cleared 1.50 meters to place fourth, while first-year Ari Maurer (St. Louis, Minn.) finished fifth at the same height. Sophomore Kiera Stommes (Eden Valley, Minn.) added an eighth-place finish at 1.45 meters (4-09.00).

Overall, CSB's combination of relay victories, event titles, and numerous personal-best performances underscored a deep and competitive team effort from start to finish.