CHICAGO, Illinois -- Rachel McCardell set a women's one-mile facility record at Dr. Conrad Worrill Track & Field Center at Gately Park on Friday night at the Blue Demon Alumni Invite. The 'Cats senior also set a school record and finished better than 15 seconds ahead of her closest competitor as Northwestern continued the winter indoor track schedule in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood.
McCardell's 4:40.76 shaved more than five seconds off the previous Gately Park record set last year by Indiana State's Jocelyn Quiles. Her performance is the fastest time by a Big Ten runner this season, and the 12th-fastest mile in the nation. McCardell was joined in the Top-7 of the 29-woman field by Anna Hightower (5th; 4:59.55) and Olivia Verbeke (7th; 5:02.81).
Later in the evening, Katherine Hessler and Kalea Bartolotto battled all the way to the line in finishing 2-3 in the women's 3000M race, with Hessler (9:59.41) edging her teammate by two-tenths of a second. Fiona Lenth and Whitney Currie finished in fifth and sixth, respectively, in the same heat.
RESULTS: 2023 Blue Demon Alumni Invite
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McCardell's 4:40.76 shaved more than five seconds off the previous Gately Park record set last year by Indiana State's Jocelyn Quiles. Her performance is the fastest time by a Big Ten runner this season, and the 12th-fastest mile in the nation. McCardell was joined in the Top-7 of the 29-woman field by Anna Hightower (5th; 4:59.55) and Olivia Verbeke (7th; 5:02.81).
Later in the evening, Katherine Hessler and Kalea Bartolotto battled all the way to the line in finishing 2-3 in the women's 3000M race, with Hessler (9:59.41) edging her teammate by two-tenths of a second. Fiona Lenth and Whitney Currie finished in fifth and sixth, respectively, in the same heat.
RESULTS: 2023 Blue Demon Alumni Invite
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