The Emory University women's 4x400-meter relay team broke the program's record in the event on Thursday night, highlighting a number of strong performances for the Eagles at the Birmingham Invitational.

The Eagles' 4x400-meter relay team of freshman Debora Adjibaba, sophomore Gabrielle Clark, junior Kaele Leonard and senior Alix Dyer set the new program record with a time of 3:57.36, finishing sixth overall among a field of mostly Division I competitors.  The mark best the previous school record, set in 2010, by almost a full second, and ranks as the second-best among all NCAA Division III teams this season. 

Dyer and Adjibaba each had success in the individual 400-meter dash as well, with Dyer finishing 17^th with a time of 59.32 seconds (12^th among D-III runners this season), and Adjibaba claiming 23^rd with a time of 59.83 seconds (16^th in D-III).  The times were the two top marks in the UAA this season.

Leonard added a time of 26.52 seconds in the 200-meter dash, the second-fastest among UAA competitors this year and good for a 34^th-place finish at the meet.  In the distance events, senior Tess Gallegos finished second in the seeded 5,000-meter run with a time of 18:10.63, the 15^th-best mark in Division III this year, while freshman Stephanie Crane's time of 5:11.50 in the mile run was good for a 13^th-place finish and 17^th in Division III.  The Eagles' women's distance medley relay team of freshman Marissa Gogniat, senior Laura Lambie-Hanson, sophomore Emily Caesar and Crane claimed fifth-place 12:41.56, the fifth-fastest mark in Division III this year.

Other top marks for the Emory women during the meet came from freshman Becca Berge in the 60-meter hurdles (10.23 seconds), Clark in the 60-meter dash (8.17 seconds), freshman Taylor Williams in the long jump (4.46 meters) and shot put (8.03 meters), freshman Hannah Smith in the 3,000-meter run (10:58.16), freshman Katie Wilson in the high jump (1.55 meters), freshman Miriam Cash in the pole vault (2.95 meters), and Caesar in the 800-meter run (2:23.66).

For the men's team at the Birmingham Invitational, junior Stephen Ellwood finished sixth in the mile run with a time of 4:22.83, the 33^rd fastest Division III time this year.  Meanwhile, Emory's 4x400-meter relay team recorded the 21^st-fastest D-III time of the year, as junior Isaac Chambers, senior Ian Francis, sophomore Mike Moserowitz and freshman Gui Silva finished ninth with a time of 3:26.88.

In the 400-meter dash, Silva finished ninth with a time of 51.19 seconds, the second-fastest UAA time of the season.  In the 200-meter dash, freshman Evan Rhea claimed 30^th with a time of 23.66, just ahead of Silva in 31^st place (23.76 seconds) and sophomore Cortlandt Perkins in the 32^nd (23.77 seconds).

Other top performances from the Emory men at the meet included freshman Tyler Cooke in the 5,000-meter run (third-place, 16:02.95), Francis in the 60-meter dash (34^th-place, 7.35 seconds), sophomore William Matheson in the 800-meter run (ninth-place, 1:59.26), freshman Ankush Mohile in the 60-meter hurdles (23^rd-place, 9.50 seconds), sophomore Alex Fleishhacker in the 3,000-meter run (10^th place, 9:02) and freshman James Bassen in the weight throw (12^th place, 10.32 meters) and shot put (16^th place, 9.80 meters).

The Eagles will be back in action tomorrow and Saturday, as Emory will take part in the Clemson Invitational in Clemson, SC.