MARION, Ind. --- The University of St. Francis women's track & field team claimed NAIA All-American status in one event and earned a spot in the finals of another race in first-day activities at the 42nd Annual NAIA Women's Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Wednesday.

Senior Katherine Bakken closed out her illustrious career by notching one more All-American performance in the 10,000-meter race on Wednesday night.  She finished fifth among a field of 35 racers in the event with her time of 36:39.51 to earn four points for USF. 

Bailey Wilk placed 25th in the same race, crossing the finish line in 38:35.17.

Ana Mendoza Pineda, meanwhile, notched a spot in Friday's finals of the 1,500-meter race after finishing tenth out of 20 runners in the preliminary round.  She ran a 4:42.05.

Also competing on Wednesday was USF's 4x100-meter relay team of Shyasia Baker, Mara Bruno, Emerson Colins and Gianna Trenter.  They placed 19th among 30 teams, finishing in 47.82 seconds.

Competing on Thursday will be Allison Ramsey in the preliminaries of the 5,000-meter race.

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