PITTSFORD, NY – The University of Rochester women's track & field 4x400 meter relay team wrapped up the final day of the 2023 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, hosted by St. John Fisher University at the Polisseni Track and Field Complex, with a runner-up finish, smashing the school record by more than three seconds en route to All-America honors.
 
The 'Jackets relay, the reigning NCAA DIII Indoor Track & Field 4x400 Champions, came into Saturday's final following a fifth-place finish in the preliminary round on Thursday and bested both their seed time by more than seven seconds, and the school record by three-plus seconds, finishing as the runner-up with a 3:41.17 time.
 
After Kate Isaac, Megan Bell, Kristin Hardy and Susan Bansbach ran in the prelims, qualifying Rochester for Saturday's final with a 3:47.43 time, Madeline O'Connell, Bell, Hardy and Bansbach combined to break the school record of 3:44.43, set earlier this year by the same four runners.
 
Bansbach, Bell, Hardy, Isaac and O'Connell all earned their second-consecutive All-America honor in the 4x400 after taking home the title and honors in the indoor campaign.
 
O'Connell ran the first lap for UR, handing it off to Bell, who kept things close with the leader, Loras, throughout much of the second lap. After handing it off to Hardy for the third lap, the senior briefly passed the Warhawks over the third and fourth turns, before Bansbach finished things off for the 'Jackets, smashing the school record and earning a runner-up finish.
 
In addition to setting a new program record, the Yellowjackets were also one of three relays that broke the facility record, coming in three seconds under that mark, and also finished with the third-fastest 4x400 time in NCAA Division III this season.
 
Earlier on in the final day of competition, Bansbach took home another All-America honor, the fifth individual All-American honor and the 11th overall of the Fayetteville, NY native's career.
 
Bansbach finished seventh in the 400m final, clocking in at 56.58 to earn All-America recognition.
 
On Friday, the senior finished second in the opening heat and seventh overall with a time of 55.71 to qualify for Saturday's final.
 
Overall, Wisconsin-La Crosse took home the women's team title, edging Loras and Washington University (Mo.), who took second and third, respectively.
 
As a team, Rochester finished with 10 points, tied for 21st overall out of 71 teams that scored a point in the championship competition, their best finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships since 2021, and the third-straight year the Yellowjacket women scored 10 or more points at the Outdoor Championships, as well as the fifth time in six years.