Behind an all-America finish on the final day of competition from senior Kaele Leonard, Emory University finished in 16th-place at the 2013 NCAA Division III Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
The 16th-place finish marked the second-best outdoor finish in the program's history, second only to a ninth-place finish during the 2002 season. It also marks a two-spot improvement from last season, when Emory finished tied for 18th at the NCAA Championships.
Emory athletes totaled 15 points during the three-day meet, finishing tied for 16th with Birmingham-Southern College. Wartburg won the meet with 46 points scored.
Leonard was Emory's lone competitor on the final day of competition, but did not disappoint, earning all-America honors in the 400-meter dash with a seventh-place finish. One day removed from breaking the school-record in the preliminaries of the event, Leonard accomplished the feat again in the finals, running a time of 55.85 seconds, a .15 second improvement on her previous time.
Leonard's finish added two more points to the Eagles' team score, which, along with the 13 points scored by Theresa Ford for finishing second in the heptathlon and fourth in the high jump on Friday, accounted for the 15 points scored by Emory during the meet.
Leonard became the first woman in Emory history to earn an all-America honor in the outdoor 400-meter dash. It was the 22nd individual all-America earned by an Emory woman during the outdoor season in the program's history.
She finished her Emory career with a pair of outdoor all-America honors and her fourth overall, including her efforts during the indoor season.
Saturday's action capped off an extremely successful 2012-13 campaign for the Emory University Women's Track and Field Team. Emory's 16th-place finish in the outdoor season followed a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships, by far the best in the program's history. In addition, the Eagles won the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship during both the indoor and outdoor season.
Emory Finishes 16th at NCAA D-III Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Posted: May 25, 2013