YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Gator women's track and field team opened the second semester by competing against nearly 1,200 athletes from all three NCAA classifications at the Youngstown State Invitational.
 
Twenty-seven different colleges were represented at the event, held at Youngstown State's Watson and Tressel Training Site.
 
A trio of distance standouts competing in their first track and field competition of the 2017-18 season led the way for Allegheny with an impressive showing in the 3,000 meter run.
 
Junior Emily Forner was the Gators' top performer in the race, as she placed sixth overall in a field of 54 – and first among Division III competitors – with a time of 10:18.56.  It marked a new personal record for Forner, while at the close of the day, it marked the 22nd fastest performance in the event by a D-III runner on the young season.
 
Fellow junior Sarah Hevener placed 10th overall, and second among D-III runners, with a time of 10:35.41, the second-best mark of her career, while senior Olivia Mamula blistered her previous PR in the event by 27 seconds with a time of 10:51.24 to place 16th overall, and third among D-III runners.
 
Sophomore Tori Valachovic paced Allegheny in sprints, as she placed 42nd overall in a field of 88 runners in the 200 meter dash with a time of 27.90 seconds. Making her career debut, rookie Kayla Smith turned in a time of 28.46 seconds in the 200, just ahead of senior teammate Amanda Wildt (28.85).  Sophomore Raina Gorman (29.06) and freshman Samantha Hall (29.96) rounded out the Gator competitors in the event.

Valachovic also led the Gators in the 60 meter dash, posting a time of 8.53 seconds to take 13th in a field of 34, while freshman teammates MacKenzie Robertson (8.64) and Jasmine Reid-Harris (8.66) placed 14th and 15th, respectively.
 
Freshman Elizabeth Debich's strong performance in the shot put led the Gators' efforts in field events, as she placed 25th in a field of 63 throwers – and led all Division III competitors – with a throw of 11.36 meters.  Debich also made her career debut in the weight throw, with a top toss of 9.97 meters.

The Gators will be back in action on Saturday, January 27, when they travel to Ohio to take part in the Wooster Invitational.