Charlotte, N.C. --- The Minnesota State women’s track team earned All-American honors in 4x100-meter relay, the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes and pole vault, Saturday afternoon as it concluded action at the NCAA Division II championships.

The Mavericks finished the meet with 26 points, which was good for seventh overall.  Angelo State won the championship with 87 points.  The seventh-place finish marked the highest Minnesota State has ever finished at the national championships.  MSU was the highest-placing school from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. 

In the pole vault, junior Lauren Stelten joined two other athletes tied for the top height at 12’10 ¾”.  Stelten, finished second however, based on misses, as she missed her first attempt 12’9”.  The All-American honor for Stelten was the sixth of her career.  Senior Whitney Kroschel also competed in the pole vault, however did not reach height.

In the 4x100-meter relay, the Mavericks brought home a fifth-place finish with a time of :45.56.  The quartert, which was made up of seniors Brittany Henderson, and Kelsey Leonard, junior Linnelle Clark and freshman Becca Schmidt re-established the their own school record with the run.

Henderson also ran in the 100 and 200-meter dashes as she finished third and fifth, respectively.  In the 100-meter dash, Henderson turned in a time of :11.84 and followed up with a time of :23.91 in the 200-meter dash.  Henderson finishes her brilliant career at Minnesota State as a 14-time All-American.  Lincoln’s Semoy Hackett swept the 100 and 20-meter dashes with times of :11.33 and :22.75. 

In the 400-meter run, Leonard finished fifth, with a school-record time of 54:37.  The old mark of 55.66 was established by Stephanie Farrington back in 1981.  Leonard’s two All-American awards pushed her career total to five.  Celethia Byrd of Angelo State won the race with a time of :53.02.