St. Lawrence University senior Nordic skier Caroline Carpenter continued her impressive season on Wednesday at the 2012 NCAA Championships at Bohart Ranch in Bozeman, MT. The Shelburne, VT native finished in 16th place overall, the best finish by a St. Lawrence women's Nordic skier in over a decade.

"Caroline's performance today is certainly equal to some of her top performances on the eastern circuit this year, and it's great to see her perform that way on the national stage," said St. Lawrence head coach Ethan Townsend. "I'm excited to see her compete in the classic race on Friday."

Carpenter, who earned All-East Second Team honors for her performance on the EISA circuit, posted a time of 15:27.8, 17 seconds out of All-America honors.

"I think today's course is one of the hardest in the country," explained Coach Townsend. "There are a lot of tough climbs, so I was very impressed with Caroline's strength today. She seems to keep getting faster and faster."

Maria Graefnings from the University of Utah won the individual national championship in the women's 5k Freestyle, crossing the finish line nearly 20 seconds ahead of Caitlin Patterson from UVM.

Carpenter will compete again in the classic race on Friday, March 9.