MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny track and field team welcomed over 30 different schools from across the region to the Robertson Athletic Complex for the 12th Annual Allegheny Gator Invite.
 
The Gators' top event on the chilly afternoon was the 1,500 meter run, as a pair of upperclass stalwarts led the way.  Junior Emily Forner placed second overall, and first among Division III runners, with a time of 4:41.33, just ahead of senior Olivia Mamula, who was timed in 4:41.47 in her final career race on her home track.
 
Also in the 1,500, a pair of Gators established new career bests, as Joy Brown finished 10th in the field with a new personal record time of 5:03,83, while Claire Morrison posted a mark of 5:04.29.
 
Six days after earning North Coast Athletic Conference gold, freshman Shannon Relihan gave the Gators a second top-three finish in the afternoon in the javelin, throwing 24.96 metres (114'8").

Lydia Rotman also represented the Gator field athletes well, in the high jump, placing fourth overall in 1.50 meters (4'11"), while fellow jumper Jen Johnson earned a fourth-place finish in the triple jump at 10.28 meters (33'9"). Johnson would then go on to take sixth in a 13-athlete field in the long jump with a leap of 4.64 meters (15'2.75").
 
Among the sprint contingent, senior Amanda Wildt posted the Gators' top time in the 100 meter dash at 13.91 seconds, while Caitlyn Davis set a new PR with a mark of 14.11 seconds.  The Gators boasted two of the top six finishers in a 13-runner field in the 200 meter dash, as MacKenzie Robertson placed fourth in 27.26 seconds, and Tori Valachovic sixth at 27.56 seconds.
 
Sarah Lucas represented the Gators in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, posting a time of 12:24.46, a new career-best, while Pearl Cooper's time of 2:35.68 in the 800 also established a personal record.
 
The afternoon also saw a pair of Allegheny facility records shattered.  In the high jump, Melanie Winters, who was competing unattached, leaped 1.78 meters (5'10"), topping the previous mark of 5'8" set in 2011.  In the 800 meter run, Point Park University's Anna Shields won in 2:05.78, three seconds faster than the previous facility mark.
 
A contingent of Gators will continue to compete over the next week, as the squad is scheduled to have entrants in a trio of "last chance" meets with hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Division III Championships over Memorial Day weekend.