Denisha Cartwright's repeat hurdles title helps Minnesota State Mankato women's track and field to second-place finish

Led by an impressive performance from junior Denisha Cartwright, the Minnesota State Mankato women's track and field team finished in second Saturday at the NCAA Division II outdoor championships in Pueblo, Colo.

Minnesota State had 57 points, nine behind champion Azuza Pacific's 66.

Cartwright won the 100-meter hurdles for the second year in a row, her time of 12.94 seconds surpassing her school record of 13.24 from a year ago. She also finished second in the 200 meters (23.10 seconds), fourth in the 100 (11.13) and was part of a 4x100 team that finished second at 44.21 seconds. Cartwright has 19 All-America awards in her career.

Lexi Hurst also became the first Mavericks athlete to win a championship in the outdoor shot put, winning with a heave of 53 feet, 10 ¼ inches, a school record.

Winona State finished a program-best fourth with 38 points and crowned two more champions Saturday. Shereen Vallabouy repeated as champion in the 400 meters, with the senior from Malaysia finishing in 52.47 seconds. Vallabouy also won the 2023 indoor title in the event.

And the Warriors' Lindsay Cunningham won her second title of the championship, winning the 5,000 in 16 minutes, 23.08 seconds. Cunningham also won the 10,000 on Thursday in 35:55.79, a Colorado state record.

For the second year in a row, Gustavus Adolphus' Birgen Nelson won the women's 100-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division III outdoor championships.

The senior clocked in at 13.37 in Rochester, N.Y., on Saturday, for the third national title of her Gusties career. She also won the 60-meter hurdles at the 2003 indoor meet.

Nelson also finished second in the 400 hurdles for the second consecutive year, helping Gustavus to a 10th-place finish. Wisconsin-La Crosse won the title with 67½ points.

St. Benedict's Fiona Smith placed second in both the 5,000 and 10,000. On the men's side, Bethel's Joel Smith earned his second national runner-up result in the 400 hurdles.