GENEVA, Ohio — The Washington University in St. Louis women's track & field team was the top-ranked team all season, and it culminated the year with its first NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field championship in program history and 22nd overall in school history.
The WashU women totaled 56 points as Ithaca College placed second (37) and Carthage College placed third (33).
One team, one family! Women OTF national champs! Men also finished in the top-10, ninth place! pic.twitter.com/5jc2bVm4r7
— WashU Bears (@WASHUBears) May 27, 2017
Earning an individual national title was senior Rebecca Ridderhoff. Ridderhoff ran to a sub-minute time in the 400m hurdles. Ridderhoff's first-place finish and 10 points helped push the Bears ahead of Ithaca.
Listed below in sequence of events is how the Bears fared during their events:
3,000m Steeplechase
Junior Alison Lindsay and sophomore Abby Martin kicked things off for the Bears on Saturday morning, with Lindsay earning a runner-up finish in the 3,000m steeplechase with a personal-best time of 10:28.52. Lindsay scored the first points for the women, earning eight points for the runner-up status. She also earned All-American honors during last year's outdoor championships.
100m Hurdles
Senior Daisy Ogede and Ridderhoff ran to All-American finishes with fifth and sixth place honors. Ogede ran to a 14.17 finish while Ridderhoff ran to a personal-best 14.28 time.
100m Dash
In a little more than 30 minutes between events, Ogede followed her 100m hurdles All-American finish with third place in the 100m dash, crossing the finish line in 11.73 to earn her second All-American honor of the day. Her time nearly eclipsed her own school record of 11.71 set during the 2015 outdoor championships.
800m
Junior Annalise Wagner and senior Ashley Knudson kept the points rolling in for the Bears women with All-American finishes, placing fourth and fifth, respectively. Wagner concluded the race in 2:09.60, while Knudson was right behind her with a time of 2:09.84. Both Wagner and Knudson's times were career-bests.
400m Hurdles
Ridderhoff ran to the national title in the 400m hurdles with a sub-minute time of 59.43, placing more than half of a second in front of the runner-up. Senior Kelli Hancock placed third with a time of 1:00.15. Ridderhoff and Hancock combined for 16 points to supplant Ithaca for the team lead.
200m Dash
Ogede added five points to the team total with a fourth place finish in the 200m dash with a time of 24.17. She earned her third All-American honor of the day, totaling six in her career at WashU.
4x400m Relay
The group of Ridderhoff, Hancock, Wagner and Knudson placed fourth in the 4x400m-relay to cap off its point total at 56 points. The quartet of All-Americans ran to a finish of 3:44.03.
