Megan Kellogg finished seventh in the 5,000-meter run at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships and came back just over an hour later to anchor the Saints' seventh-place distance medley relay (DMR), which broke the school record it had set a week earlier, to earn All-America honors in both events at North Central College on Friday evening.

Kellogg finished the 5K in 17 minutes 4.32 seconds, a pace of 5:29.7 per mile. The performance was the fastest of the season for Kellogg, who entered the race with a seed time of 17:08.49.

The distance medley relay team of Caroline Driscoll, Molly Lennon, Cassidy Scott and Kellogg finished in 11:56.05, 2.52 seconds faster than the school record set by the same quartet at last weekend's ECAC Championships at Ithaca to qualify for nationals.

"I'm extremely proud of this team," said head coach Kate Curran. "That double by Megan was incredible, and Caroline, Molly and Cassidy all had amazing performances to earn All-America honors in their first NCAA track championship."

In the 5,000, Kellogg spent most of the first mile at the back of the 17-runner pack, as the leaders went through the 1,600 at a blazing pace of 5:17. She was just a few seconds behind, however, and started picking off runners right before the one-mile mark, going through the 1,600 in 11th in 5:20.75. She held that spot for most of the next mile before putting herself in a position for All-America honors by moving into eighth with one mile left in the race. She closed out the race with a 5:33.8 final 1,600, moving up one more position in the final eight laps.

"It went out fast and she hung tough throughout the whole race," said Curran. "She said she felt great so I was confident in her to go out and give it her all in the DMR. She's a team player and she was all about doing what she could for the team. She was the only person in the women's 5K field that doubled back and ran on the DMR."

Driscoll led off for the Saints in the relay, posting a 3:44 in the 1,200 leg. She was followed by Lennon, who expertly navigated her way through a crowded relay exchange after taking the baton for the 400 leg, posting a high-57 split. With Washington University and MIT way out in front of the field, the pack was tight from third through 12th. While the Saints were near the back of the pack, they remained well within reach of a top-eight position for All-America honors.

Cassidy Scott ran the 800 leg with a personal-best time of 2:18, handing off to Kellogg in 10th place, and Kellogg passed three teams in the final 1,600 with a 4:53 leg to put the team in seventh.

"The first three girls went out and put us in a great spot," said Curran. "I felt really confident when Megan got the stick because she's such a competitor. She didn't do anything drastic right off the bat, she just worked her way up.

"We were the 12th seed coming in, so we had nothing to lose. For them to go out and earn All-America honors, for all four of them to run so well, you couldn't ask for anything more."

While the Saints have completed competition in the meet, the championship will continue tomorrow. The Saints will continue training in preparation for the outdoor season, which will officially begin on April 8 at the Nazareth Rock City Invitational.

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