PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Minnesota State women's track and field team finished second at the NCAA Division II National Championships Saturday afternoon. The Mavericks finished the two-day event in third place, totaling 49 points. It marks the fourth consecutive year that Minnesota State has recorded a top-five finish (second in 2021, first in 2022, second in 2023). The Mavericks finished a point ahead of Grand Valley State.
Senior sprinter Denisha Cartwright earned All-American honors in four races on the day. After winning the 60-meter hurdles, Cartwright returned to the podium after the 60-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and the 4x400-meter relay.
Cartwright, who is now a 14-time Indoor Track and Field All-American and five-time national champion.
In the 60-meter hurdles, Cartwright ran an 8.04. This marks the third consecutive year that Cartwright has claimed the 60-meter hurdle crown at the indoor track and field championships. She was followed across the finish line by junior Adeyah Brewster who was second with a 8.38 and senior Roxan Foster who was third with a personal-best time of 8.42. This marks the first time in both Brewster and Foster's career that they have earned All-American status and Minnesota State now has 13 All-Americans in the 60-meter hurdles.
She also earned her fourth straight All-American honor in the 60-meter dash finishing second with a time of 7.30. She is the 15th Maverick to earn the award all-time in the event. In the 200-meter dash, Carwright finished fourth turned in a season-best time of 23:63.
In the 4x400-meter relay, Cartwright joined juniors Robyn Rolle-Curry and Eilika Lane along with senior Rose Cramer en route to finishing fourth with a time of 3:40.64. It marked the fifth time in program history that the Mavericks have received All-American honors in the event.
"The highlight of our weekend was sweeping the top three spots on the podium in the 60-meter dash," said head coach Mike Turgeon. "I'm proud of how we competed as a squad and we are looking forward to building off of this indoor season as we turn our attention to the outdoors."
In the mile, senior MaKenna Thurston finished seventh with a time of 4:46.27, a personal best. It marks the first time in her career that she has earned All-American honors in the event and she's the first Maverick since Michelle Clark in 1997 to do so.
Four Mavericks participated in the triple jumped and the crew was led by senior Flore Gracia. Gracia recorded a leap of 12.67-meters (41'7") to finish fourth and record her third career All-American award in the indoor event.
A trio of Mavericks earned Second-Team All-American honors in the triple jump. Sophomore Lillian Washington was ninth with a leap of 12.29-meters (40'4"). Junior Stella Neophytou finished 14th with a leap of 11.99-meters (39'4") while freshman Ghada Hamdani was 15th with a jump of 11.97-meters (39/3 1/4").
In the pentathlon, freshman Victoriia Ermolaeva finished seventh with 3,854 points – a new school record – to become the first ever Maverick to earn First-Team All-American honors in the event. Sophomore Miranda Lauvstad finished 14th with 2,706 points and was a Second-Team All-American.
