Women’s cross country team visits White House for NCAA College Champions Day

If this past fall was any indication, the Carleton College women’s cross country team has gotten used to the idea of being first. That trend continued on July 22 as the Knights took part in White House College Champions Day, an annual event to celebrate the previous academic year’s women’s and men’s NCAA champion teams across all three NCAA divisions.

The Knights did not lose to a Division III opponent during the 2023 cross country season, culminated by a come-from-behind victory at Nationals. Carleton was fourth with only 1,000 meters remaining in that race but rallied to earn the first NCAA women’s team title in school history as the Knights prevailed in the closest finish in NCAA D-III Women’s Cross Country Championships history as only seven points separated the top four teams.

Although Monday’s event was not a competition, the Knights were first once again.

“I wanted to make sure that we were there early, so that we could have a great experience,” said Carleton head coach Donna Ricks. “We were actually the first team to arrive to the White House.”

Team members flew in from all over the country. Through flight cancellations and six-hour delays, the Knights gathered for what Ricks described as “one last hurrah to celebrate.” Due to flight issues, some of Carleton’s athletes did not arrive in the nation’s capital until 2 a.m. on Monday, but they were still ready a few hours later to leave the hotel with the rest of the squad and head to the White House.

“In many ways it felt like we were preparing for one last meet,” Ricks noted of her squad’s 7:45 a.m. departure. “The bond with one another is very strong, yet, we knew in our hearts that this may be the last time we are all together as life would be taking us in different directions and we were all savoring every moment of the day.”

Less than three weeks ago, Ricks received her team’s invitation to the White House. Not every school was able to send its national championship squad to Washington, but Carleton President Alison Byerly and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Michelle Mattson covered the Knights’ travel costs to make this special opportunity possible.

While standing outside the White House gates, the Carleton traveling party — comprised of 11 student-athletes and the coaching staff — watched the other invited teams gather at the entry point.

“I enjoyed seeing all the other teams and chatting with the athletes,” said Alice Cutter ’24. “Even though we are from different places, schools, sports, and divisions, we all share a passion for excellence in our respective sports.”

After checking in, the Knights were able to do a self-guided White House tour, the first of many highlights on the day.

“As we entered the White House, everybody was so welcoming it was phenomenal,” Ricks said. “Obviously we took a lot of photos. All the White House personnel were great. They had Secret Service everywhere and other individuals in each of the rooms. You could talk to them. They knew about the history. We could take as much time as we wanted. It was neat to observe the furniture and how ornate everything was, the photographs and paintings of past and present presidents and their wives and families, and it was amazing to see the gardens.”

“It was fun to meet the members of the armed forces who worked there and answered all of our wacky questions,” said Mary Blanchard ’24. “I also really enjoyed hearing ‘The President’s Own’ Marine band live.”

After the tour, the Knights gathered on the White House lawn for more photos and to enjoy the festive environment. The various teams gathered to drink lemonade and play yard game together.

As the clocked ticked towards 11:30 a.m. EDT and the Knights took their seats near the front of crowd, one member of Carleton’s traveling party was absent. All-American Phoebe Ward ’24 was back inside the White House amongst a group of student-athletes chosen to be on stage for the event and represent the teams in attendance.

Music played to start the ceremony, and Ward and the other selected athletes made their way down the curved stairs on the south side of the White House and onto the stage, where they remained throughout the event. Ward was positioned in the front row, just off the left shoulder of day’s three speakers, including Vice President Kamala Harris.

“To all our athletes, I know it was not easy to make it to this moment. Each of you has faced challenges and obstacles, and you have endured. You have fought back and fought through,” Harris remarked. “By doing so, you demonstrated that true greatness requires more than skill.  It requires grit and determination. You all know what it means to commit and to persevere. And you know what it means to count on teammates.

“During the course of a long season, sports teams become a family. You rely on each other. You develop relationships that will last a lifetime. And you make the people around you better in every way. And when you play, you inspire people across our nation. You remind all of us what can be achieved with hard work and ambition.”

After the ceremony, which can be viewed on the White House YouTube channel, Harris and the NCAA representatives joined the on-stage student-athletes for a group photo.

“It was so cool to be standing behind the vice president with the other team representatives,” said Ward. “Every team valued their teammates, school, and sport as much as we did. It was inspiring to be in such impressive company and to know that Carleton women’s cross country absolutely belonged among them.”

The Knights left the White House grounds and began to ventured onto the National Mall. While they had to evade the occasional thunderstorm by ducking under trees and hiding in doorways, the team explored the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and when then weather cleared, they took more photos and visited the various monuments and memorials.

“It has been so special to visit the White House in celebration of our and other team’s championships,” said Hannah Preisser ’25. “However, I would just say that it has been the most special to regroup as a team one last time given so many of our dear seniors have graduated.”

“As a recent graduate, it’s been so awesome to come back and be with the team for a few days,” Blanchard said. “I’m really thankful for this opportunity to recognize the hard work our team put in.”

“Just watching the team interact and talk and be together once again and relive some of their fondest memories was just an amazing day,” said Ricks. “It was just wonderful that we could have another experience like this again together.

“It was a privilege and an honor to be at our nation’s capital. Thank you to the White House and the NCAA for including all divisions, recognizing that whether you are a D-I, D-II, or D-III athlete, that every student-athlete put forth the same amount of commitment and worked equally as hard to reach the goal of being a national champion. Having assistant coach Laura Albares ’10 and this cross country family, along with my own family [husband Dave and daughter Karissa] was very special as they have been by my side every step of the way.”

Who knows? Maybe Monday’s excursion was just the FIRST of many trips to Washington, D.C. for the Knights.

Read on the Carleton Athletics website.