LA CROSSE, Wis. – Linfield seniors Kaelia Neal and Emma Knudson paced the Wildcats on the first day of competition at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships held at the Veteran's Memorial Field Sports Complex. Three other Wildcats also competed Thursday as action got underway.
Neal and Knudson ran in separate heats of the women's 1,500-meter run. Neal placed third in Section 1 in 4:36.06. Knudson nabbed fourth in the second section in a time of 4:37.05.

"Kaelia ran a little inconsistent in her heat," said head coach Travis Olson. "But in the end, she was able to use her kick to secure a spot."

Olson noted that the second heat raced noticeably slower than the first race so he and distance coach Mike Blackmore knew that Knudson needed to finish among the top four to reach the finals. Knudson did just that, climbing from seventh place to fourth over the final 100 meters.

Both coaches believe Neal and Knudson have a great chances of becoming All-Americans during Saturday's final.

Keaton Wood was Linfield's lone men's competitor at the national championships. Competing in the first day of the decathlon, the freshman from Lake Oswego ran 11.67 in the 100 meters, putting him in sixth place after the first event with 717 points.
 
Unfortunately, while warming up for the day's next event, the long jump, Wood hit deeper into the sand pit than expected, hyper-extending his knee and straining his hamstring.
 
"It was a freak accident and I feel bad for him but he will be back at this meet in years to come," said Olson.
 
Will Daniels from Central College (Iowa) ended Day 1 as the overall leader with 3,815 points after five events.
 
Linfield's Olivia McDaniel was the first athlete to take attempts in the women's pole vault, clearing an opening height of 3.50 meters (11-5¾). With the gusting winds, McDaniel was unable to clear 3.65m (11-11¾) in the second round. The wind affected nearly every competitor as many could not match their season-best marks.
 
Olson still had praise for his junior vaulter, saying that despite the wind, McDaniel competed very well.
 
The winner of the pole vault was Madison Reed of Ohio Northern with a clearance of 3.95m (12-11½). McDaniel finished in a tie for 14th.
 
In the women's javelin, Linfield's Dana Brooks threw 38.31m (125-8) on her final attempt. Brooks was ranked 21st coming into the competition. Her best effort Thursday was good for 15th place overall, but it was not sufficient to advance her to the finals.
 
"Dana threw very well," said Olson. "She finished higher than she was ranked so it was an overall good performance for her."
 
Northwest Conference champion Machaela Graddy of Pacific Lutheran won the competition with a toss of 45.80m (150-3).
 
The meet continues Friday before wrapping up on Saturday.