APPLETON, Wis. – Junior Ava Claussen-Tubbs outkicked her competition on the final lap to capture the women's 1500-meter title at Friday's Midwest Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Whiting Field.
 
Claussen-Tubbs pulled off a comeback victory in 4:42.44 for her seventh career MWC crown as a Ram. She was 13th after the initial lap, fourth through 800 and third going into the bell lap.
 
Claussen-Tubbs ran a 1:07 split over the final 400, reeling in defending champion Jenny Cortes of Ripon (4:43.78) and Grinnell runner-up Hannah Roark (4:43.43) in a hotly-contested finish.    
 
The Rams scored 20 points on Day 1 and stand fifth in the team race through six events. Action resumes at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
 
Cornell tallied 15 points in the 1500. Alyza Koppes placed fifth in 4:47.60, while Lidia Dahlman took eighth in 4:52.91.
 
Hailey Carolan finished sixth in the long jump (16-10.75) and Zoe Peesel crossed seventh in the 10000 (41:30.66).
 
Carolan advanced to Saturday's finals in the 400 hurdles, qualifying fourth in 1:09.09. Willow Ziegler clocked a season-best 59.61 in the 400 as the fourth-fastest qualifier.