Mankato, Minn. --- The #1 Minnesota State women's indoor track & field program is sending 12 individual entries and two relay teams to the 2023 NCAA Division II National Championships to be held in Virginia Beach, Va., on Friday and Saturday, March 10
th and 11
th. The Mavericks are hoping to become the first team since Grand Valley State in 2011 and 2012 to successfully repeat as National Champions after capturing the first title in program history last year.
Three MSU hurdlers will open up the competition the same heat in the prelims of the 60-meter hurdles starting at 1:45 p.m. on Friday. Juniors
Denisha Cartwright and
Roxan Foster will be joined by sophomore
Kynnedi Malone with hopes of qualifying for the finals which would take place on Saturday at 2:40 p.m. Cartwright is the defending National Champion in this event and is seeking to become the first repeat winner since
Danielle Williams of Johnson C. Smith in 2013-14. She enters the meet with the best time in the nation this year, a school record 8.07. Foster (8.56) stands 12
th in the nation in this event and earned All-American honors in this event last year while competing at American International, while Malone is tied 16
th with her qualifying time of 8.59.
| Maverick 60 Meter Hurdles All-Americans |
Year |
| Altonice Williams |
2016, 2017 (National Champion) |
| Alexis Smith |
2019 |
| Denisha Cartwright |
2021, 2022 (National Champion) |
| Mackenzie Keune |
2021 |
Cartwright then has to turn right around and join junior teammate
Makayla Jackson in separate heats of the 60-meter dash prelims starting at 2:15 p.m. on Friday. Jackson is the defending National Champion in this event, and both Cartwright and Jackson are two-time All-Americans in this event after qualifying for the finals in each of the past two seasons. The potential exists for both Cartwright and Jackson to join Minnesota State Hall of Famer
Brittany Henderson as a three-time All-American in the 60-meter dash should they accomplish the feat once again in 2023. The finals for this event will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.
No school has had more National Champions in the pole vault than Minnesota State, as six times Mavericks have captured the top spot at nationals. Sophomore
Paige Hickson will make her debut appearance in the national meet starting at 2:20 p.m. on Friday and aims to add to the rich MSU tradition in this event. This year, Hickson is tied for sixth in the nation in the pole vault with a qualifying mark of 4.06 m (13' 3.75"), and has won all seven of the pole vault competitions she entered in 2022-23.
| Maverick Pole Vault All-Americans |
Year |
| Kate Farnham |
2002 |
| Amanda Frame |
2003, 2004 (National Champion), 2005 National Champion) |
| Katelin Rains |
2006, 2007 (National Champion), 2008 (National Champion), 2009 |
| Lauren Stelten |
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 (National Champion) |
| Faryn Wirkus |
2013, 2016 |
| Bryanna Sudman |
2015 (Second Team) |
Jackson's busy day will continue with the finals of the long jump beginning at 3:00 p.m., as she will be joined by junior teammates
Kary Petricka and
Mariah Williams in the event. Jackson is also the defending National Champion in this event and is seeking to become the first repeat winner in the long jump since
Stachia Reuwsaat of Chadron State in 2016 and 2017. The school record holder in the event, Jackson leads the nation this year with her mark of 6.37 m (20' 10.75"). Williams will enter the national meet ranking fifth in the nation with her mark of 6.08 m (19' 11.5"), while Petricka is 15
th (5.97 m; 19' 7"), but was a
Second Team All-American in this event in 2022.
Freshman
Lillian Washington will appear in her first of two events at the national meet with the high jump competition getting underway at 3:35 p.m. on Friday. She enters the event tied for 10
th nationally with her qualifying mark of 1.72 m (5' 7.25"), which is also tied for third all-time at MSU.
| Maverick High Jump All-Americans |
Year |
| Katy Treinan |
1985 |
| Michaela Webb |
2023 |
| Krystal Burggraff |
2005 |
| Kali Erlandson |
2007 |
| Khadiya Hollingsworth |
2017, 2018 |
| Taylor Elliott |
2022 (Second Team) |
Shifting back to the track, Jackson and Cartwright will take part in their third event of the day starting at 4:10 p.m. as they will appear in different heats of the 200-meter prelims, hoping to advance to Saturday's finals which would begin at 4:30 p.m. A two-time All-American in this event, Cartwright is leading the nation entering the national championships with an adjusted time of 23.43 and is tied for 21
st in NCAA Division II history. Likewise, Jackson has also twice earned All-American honors in the 200 meters and is ranked 10
th nationally entering the championships.
| Maverick 200 Meters All-Americans |
Year |
| Brittany Henderson |
2008, 2009 |
| Afure Adah |
2017 (Second Team) |
| Denisha Cartwright |
2021, 2022 (Second Team) |
| Makayla Jackson |
2021 (Second Team), 2022 |
The final event MSU will take part in on Friday comes with the Distance Medley Relay team of junior
MaKenna Thurston, junior
Eilika Lane, sophomore
Marissa Ellenbecker, and senior
Amanda Montplaisir taking to the track at 5:20 p.m. The DMR quartet ranks 16
th in the nation with its adjusted time of 11:40.42, which also ranks second in school history.
| Maverick Distance Medley Relay All-Americans |
Year |
| Megan Allen, Erin Baker, Amelia Kjos, Haley Kruger |
2017 (Second Team) |
Saturday's action will start early for the Mavericks as junior
Flore Gracia and sophomore
Stella Neophytou will join Washington in the triple jump competition at noon. Gracia is a two-time
All-American in this event, including earning Second Team honors for Minnesota State last year, and currently ranks third in the nation in this event (12.80 m; 42' 0"). Washington is seventh nationally in the triple jump (12.51 m; 41' 0.5"), while Neophytou is 10
th (12.31 m; 40' 4.75"). Gracia, Washington, and Neophytou rank first, second, and third, respectively, in school history in the triple jump.
| Maverick Triple Jump All-Americans |
Year |
| Katelin Rains |
2008 |
| Elizabeth Brunner |
2019 (Second Team) |
| Flore Gracia |
2022 (Second Team) |
Senior
Lexie Hurst and her nation-leading mark of 16.91 m (55' 5.75") will get underway in the shot put competition at 1:45 p.m. on Saturday in MSU's last field event of the championships. Not only is Hurst leading NCAA Division II in the shot put this year, but also is the school record-holder, breaking the previous record that was held for 20 years by
Kortney Ihnen, as well as standing fifth in NCAA Division II history.
| Maverick Shot Put All-Americans |
Year |
| Lesa Pederson |
1987 |
| Kortney Ihnen |
2003 |
| Katie Taylor |
2021, 2022 |
| Brea Perron |
2021 (Second Team), 2022 |
Montplaisir will take to the track at 4:50 p.m. on Saturday to compete as an individual when will compete in the finals of the 3000 meters. Entering the race ranked 14
th in the nation with an adjusted time of 9:27.73, Montplaisir broke the 43-year-old school record in this event during 2022-23, which was previously held by
Donna Gathje. Montplaisir will look to become the first Maverick All-American in this event.
The 2023 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships will conclude with the 4x400 meter relay at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, and the Mavericks squad of senior
Rose Gaye, Cartwright, Jackson, and junior
Rose Cramer will be in the fourth and final heat of that event. This unit ranks fourth in the nation with an adjusted time of 3:41.67, which is the fastest time in school history and the 23
rd-fastest mark in NCAA Division II history.
| Maverick 4x400 Meter Relay All-Americans |
Year |
| Jenny Goesch, Brittany Henderson, Alissa Kurke, Kelsey Leonard |
2007 |
| Brittany Henderson, Kelsey Leonard, Katelin Rains, Andrea Sellers |
2009 |
| Nyeaee Robins, Mackenzie Keune, Denisha Cartwright, Mackenzie Woodard |
2021 |
| Rose Gaye, Rose Cramer, Denisha Cartwright, Sherona Stewart |
2022 (Second Team) |
Only 11 schools in NCAA Division II history have captured a women's indoor track & field championship, including Minnesota State in 2022. Should the Mavericks repeat this year, they will join an exclusive club of only six institutions that have multiple championships to their credit (Abilene Christian – 12; Saint Augustine's – 6; Lincoln – 5; Adams State – 4; Grand Valley State – 3).
While Minnesota State won the National Championship last year, the program has a long and storied history of producing team points at the national meet. MSU has scored in 25 national championships to date, which is tied for the fourth-most scoring appearances in NCAA Division II history:
| Rank |
School |
Consecutive Years Scoring At NCAA Indoor Nationals |
| 1 |
Saint Augustine's |
33 |
| 2 |
Lincoln (Mo.) |
27 |
| 3 |
Western Colorado |
26 |
| T-4 |
Grand Valley State |
25 |
| T-4 |
Lewis |
25 |
| T-4 |
Minnesota State |
25 |
| T-4 |
Pittsburg State |
25 |
In the last two years alone, Minnesota State has jumped nine spots from 19
th to 10
th on the all-time points scored list at the NCAA Division II Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships, now standing with 315. Currently, only a dozen programs have eclipsed 300 points earned at the national championships.
| Rank |
School |
All-Time Points Earned At NCAA Indoor Nationals |
| 1 |
Abilene Christian |
1343.33 |
| 2 |
Saint Augustine's |
1207 |
| 3 |
Lincoln (Mo.) |
1021.33 |
| 4 |
Adams State |
956 |
| 5 |
Grand Valley State |
878.5 |
| 6 |
Ashland |
575.5 |
| 7 |
North Dakota State |
479.5 |
| 8 |
Central Missouri |
409.83 |
| 9 |
Western Colorado |
315 |
| 10 |
Minnesota State |
307.5 |
| 11 |
Pittsburg State |
310.16 |
| 12 |
South Dakota |
307.5 |
| 13 |
Lewis |
291 |
| 14 |
Nebraska-Omaha |
286.5 |
Minnesota State can boast of 11 individual national champions at NCAA indoor track & field history, which is in 10
th place all-time in Division II history:
| Maverick National Champions |
Event |
Year |
| Amanda Frame |
Pole Vault |
2004 |
| Amanda Frame |
Pole Vault |
2005 |
| Katelin Rains |
Pole Vault |
2007 |
| Katelin Rains |
Pole Vault |
2008 |
| Katelin Rains |
Pole Vault |
2009 |
| Lauren Stelten |
Pole Vault |
2011 |
| Altoniece Williams |
60 Meter Hurdles |
2017 |
| Katie Taylor |
Weight Throw |
2021 |
| Makayla Jackson |
60 Meters |
2022 |
| Denisha Cartwright |
60 Meter Hurdles |
2022 |
| Makayla Jackson |
Long Jump |
2022 |
