WAVERLY, Iowa–Swarthmore track & field senior Katie Jo McMenamin saved her best for last, winning the 1500-meter run and placing second in the 5k race at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday, May 28.

McMenamin started the afternoon with the 1500, entering the race with the second-best time in preliminaries. The senior from Lafayette, Colorado stayed with the pack for most of the race before unleashing a big kick in the final lap to win in 4:24.33, a program, Centennial Conference and stadium record. McMenamin ran the last 400 in 1:07 flat and beat runner-up Maya Weigel from Pomona-Pitzer by over a second.

She is the first national champion in program history and the first Swarthmore woman to win an NCAA title of any kind. It is also the Garnet's first national championship since the 1990 men's tennis team won the crown and the third women's outdoor track & field title in Centennial Conference annals.

McMenamin capped off a stellar career at Swarthmore by finishing second and earning All-American honors in the 5k with a time of 16:44.02. Amy Regan of Stevens, who won the event wire-to-wire, broke off early and was followed by Weigel as McMenamin and the field stayed together. After about nine minutes, McMenamin broke away from the chase pack and later passed Weigel handily at approximately the 12-minute mark. Regan, however, could not be caught and wrapped up the race in 16:27.32.

McMenamin earned 18 points for Swarthmore, which was enough for an 11th-place finish at the championships.