DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.- The Ave Maria University track and field teams returned to action this past weekend, competing in the Embry-Riddle Spikes Classic on the ERAU campus in Daytona Beach. Both AMU teams finished among the top ten teams in a field that included numerous NCAA Division II schools, with the women placing sixth out of 27 teams with 33 points and the men taking eighth out of 23 with 19 points.

Leading AMU's scoring was freshman Caitlyn O'Brien, who qualified for the finals in two different events. O'Brien finished third in her first outing in the 100 meter hurdles, and placed fifth in the long jump, the event she currently leads The Sun Conference in. 

Rebecca Perona also placed in the top eight in two events, placing fifth in the shot put and seventh in the javelin, where she broke 30 meters for the first time with a throw of 30.04 meters. Theresa Long also added two top ten finishes, running a season-best 4:44.11 in the 1500 meters and clocking in at 2:20.05 in the 800 meters. Long currently ranks first in the SUN in the 1500 meters and second in the 800 meters.

The Gyrene women also posted a pair of solid relay times. AMU's first attempt at the 4x800 meter relay, a team consisting of Abigail Rall, Carol Long, Emma Perreault, and Regina Pirolli, crossed the finish line at 10:16.25, the second best time in the SUN this year. In the 4x100 meter relay, Ave Maria's quartet of O'Brien, Elena Barnes, Erin Booms, and Casey Humphrey clocked a time of 53.38, finishing second overall.

Ave Maria's men fared especially well in the field events, with two Gyrenes adding to the team total. Willie Jackson placed third overall in the shot put, setting a new school record with a throw of 13.11 meters. Blaise Carney added another top eight finish for the Gyrenes, placing eighth in the pole vault with a school record leap of 3.85 meters. Both efforts currently rank among the top six in The Sun Conference.

AMU also fared well in middle and long distance events. Adam Paga ran a personal best of 1:56.50 and placed 13th in a very competitive 800 meter run, and also placed 10th in the 1500 meters, breaking 4 minutes with a time of 3:59.84. James Halvorsen finished fifth with a time of 10:42.20 in the 3000 meters steeplechase, while Christopher Hermann set a new school record in the 5000 meter run, clocking in at 15:54.59.

The Gyrenes are scheduled to compete one more time before the Sun Conference Championships later this month. Ave Maria will compete at the Pre-Conference Meet in Miami Gardens on April 15, one week before the conference championships, which are scheduled for April 22-23 in Daytona Beach.