WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The University of Rochester women's track and field team compiled two fifth place finishes on Saturday on day two of the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships, coming in the 400 meters and in the 4x400 meter relay.
 
Junior Susan Bansbach had a hand in both runs, earning All-America accolades twice on Saturday, while on the relay, she was joined by juniors Madeline O'Connell and Kristin Hardy along with senior Eileen Bequette.
 
Rochester earned a total of eight team points, four in both events, to finish in a tie for 27th place among 62 teams in the meet that scored at least one point. Loras took home the team title with 59 team points, with Wisconsin-La Crosse (44) and Liberty League rival Ithaca (40) rounding out the top-3.
 
This weekends meet was the first NCAA Division III indoor championship since 2019, as the 2020 and 2021 events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the 16th overall appearance at nationals for Rochester's women.
 

In the 400 meters, Bansbach snuck into the finals with an 8th place run in Friday's preliminaries. On Saturday, the junior moved up three spots, posting a time of 57.12, shaving over three-tenths of a second off her prelim time. The All-America award is the third of Bansbach's indoor career, as she earned two during the 2019-20 season before the NCAA Championships were canceled.
 
The Yellowjacket relay team also improved on their preliminary time, improving by over a full second from Friday's racing where the team earned the seventh seed heading into the finals. On Saturday, UR posted a time of 3:52.48.
 
O'Connell bested the field in the opening split of the race, running the first 400 meters in 57.19 seconds. Hardy was next and clocked in with a split of 59.44 seconds. Bequette followed with the third leg and ran a time of 58.15 seconds ahead of Bansbach who closed the race with a split of 57.68.
 
Three of the runners, Bansbach, Hardy and Bequette are repeat All-Americans from the 2020 indoor championships, while O'Connell earns her first All-America award. Rochester's 4x400 meter relay also earned All-America honors last season outdoors, placing third in Division III. That team featured Bansbach, Hardy and Bequette as well.
 
Rochester's next meet is set for March 25-26, at the Lynchburg Jack Toms Invitational, opening up the 2022 outdoor track and field season.