CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Wellesley College track & field senior Ella Whinney (Madison, Wis.) rose to the occasion and bested her own program record at the MIT Final Qualifier on Thursday.

Whinney's 3000m Steeplechase time of 10:35.66 was over two seconds ahead of her own 2024 NCAA DIII Championship time, with the senior continuing to peak at the twilight of her storied career. The 10:35.66 mark ranks 11th in Division III, with the senior expecting to see her name in tomorrow's NCAA Division III Championship qualifier release ahead of next week's event in La Crosse, Wis.

Classmate Simone Beauchamp (Aurora, Colo.) also competed in the event, finishing in fourth place with a season-best time of 11:15.49 to finish the career. Beauchamp's time is 71st in Division III this year.