ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The University of Chicago women's track and field team brought home seven All-American awards and a National Championship at the NCAA Division III Championships this past weekend.
Marina Semple opened the day strong for the Maroons, earning All-American honors in the Long Jump with a season-best mark of 18' 8.75" on her second jump of the competition. Despite coming in as the #18 overall seed, Semple was able to qualify for the finals and take home a seventh-place finish for her first-ever All-American award.
Following Semple, it was the
Ren Brown show for UChicago as she competed in both the 60m Hurdles and the 400m Run. Brown ran an 8.68 in the 60m Hurdles to qualify for the Finals on Saturday afternoon after entering the weekend as the #1 overall seed in the event. Then, in the 400m Dash, Brown brought home a 12th place finish with a time of 56.75 seconds, narrowly missing the finals in the event and earning second-team All-American honors.
In the 5000m Run, it was
Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel bringing home another All-American award for the decorated senior from Montclair, New Jersey. Battleson-Gunkel took fourth-place in the event with a time of 16:46.28. Battleson-Gunkel will run for her second All-American award of the meet on Saturday when she competes in the 3000m Run.
The final event of the night brought the biggest award of the night for the University of Chicago as the Maroons claimed their first individual National Championship of the year. The team ofÂ
Nora Holmes,Â
Ren Brown,Â
Emma Kelly,Â
Claudia Harnett brought home a first-place finish with a time of 11:37.62. Holmes and Brown shot the Maroons out of a cannon in the opening two legs of the race as it became a two-horse race between the University of Chicago and MIT. Kelly continued to run strong for UChicago as the Engineers and the Maroons continued to trade the lead throughout the 800m Run portion of the relay. In the final leg, Harnett sat in second place for the majority of her mile run, but she was just biding her time as she took the lead and cruised to a victory and a National Championship.
The individual National Championship for the Distance Medley Relay team is the first track and field national title for the Maroons since Isabel Maletich swept the Long Jump and Triple Jump outdoor titles in 2021. It is also the first National Championship in a running event since Michelle Dobbs won the 800m title in 2016.
On Saturday,
Ren Brown opened the day with her third All-American honors of the weekend as she finished in 5th place in the 60m Hurdles with a time of 8.66 seconds. She finished the weekend with two first-team All-American honors and one second-team All-American award.
Then, in the final event of the championships, the Maroons added two more All-American awards in the 3000m Run.
Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel earned her second first-team All-American honor as she finished in third-place with a time of 9:28.94, just 6 seconds off the national championship time.
Nora Holmes also added second-team All-American honors for the Maroons as she finished in 12th place with a time of 9:45.80.
Anna Watson missed second-team All-American award by just 0.07 seconds as she finished in 17th place with a time of 9:56.09.
UChicago caps off their indoor season with five total first-team All-American honors, two total second-team All-American honors, and a National Championship. The Maroons will open their outdoor season on the weekend of March 28-29 as they compete in the WashU Distance Carnival and the WashU Invitational.
UCHICAGO ALL-AMERICANS:
1st-Team All-American Awards
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Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel - 3000m Run - 3rd Place - 9:28.94
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Evelyn Battleson-Gunkel - 5000m Run - 4th Place - 16:46.28
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Ren Brown - 60m Hurdles - 5th Place - 8.66
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Marina Semple - Long Jump - 7th Place - 18' 8.75"
*Â
Nora Holmes,Â
Ren Brown,Â
Emma Kelly,Â
Claudia Harnett - Distance Medley Relay - National Champions - 11:37.62
2nd-Team All-American Awards
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Ren Brown - 400m Run - 12th Place - 56.75
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Nora Holmes - 3000m Run - 12th Place - 9:45.80