MARION, Ind. – In an event dominated by Northwest runners, Evergreen junior Karissa Carlson (Pateros, Wash./Pateros HS) just barely missed out on a chance to run in the championship final on Saturday, taking tenth overall in the semifinal round of the 800m run at the 2011 NAIA Track and Field Championships at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind.
Carlson, who set a new school record in her Friday performance by over a second, took sixth in the second heat, posting a time of 2:13.18. Carlson’s heat was won by senior Brianna Kane of Simon Fraser, who recorded a time of 2:11.30. The top qualifier for the event’s final was junior Helen Crofts, also of Simon Fraser, who posted a time of 2:10.60 to lead four Clan runners into the final.
Showing off the Pacific Northwest’s dominance in the event, all of the top 10 runners came from schools in the Northwest. In addition to SFU’s four runners in the final, four CCC runners will be joined by senior Shannon Flynn from Carroll College for the title on Saturday.
Carlson’s performance concludes a season that saw seven school records fall, many of them more than once. It also concludes a season in which she qualified for both the NAIA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships. She took 11th in the 800m run at the Indoor Championships in March before taking 10th in the 800 on Friday.
