The Emory University track and field team opened the 2016 outdoor season this weekend with the Emory Invitational. Out of over 45 schools competing at the meet, the Emory women took first place with 109 points while the men's team finished in fourth with 59.50 points.

The women were led by three first place finishes. Senior Aileen Rivell ran a 17:37.20 to win the 5k race and fellow senior Julie Williamson won the 1,500m Run with a time of 4:45.78. Williamson also ran the opening leg of the Eagles' first place distance medley relay team along with junior Elizabeth Magno, sophomore Gabrielle Stravech and freshman Clare Ubersax which won the event with a time of 12:16.46.

Other top performers for the Eagles were the second place 4x800 Relay (9:49.15) of freshmen Kristi Kwok, Radhika Shah, sophomore Hanna Saadegh-Vaziri and junior Alexa Young; Young (3^rd, 2:18.30) in the 800m Run, sophomore Erica Goldman (3^rd, 56.74) and freshman Ariana Newhouse (4^th, 57.09) in the 400m Dash, freshman Amanda Martin in the 5000m Run (3^rd, 17:46.37), Ubersax (4^th, 4:51.07) in the 1500m Run, freshman Dani Bland in both the 100m Dash (4^th, 12.16) and 200m Dash (7^th, 25.98), sophomore Abigail Hotaling in the 3000m Steeplechase (4^th, 11:48.52), freshman Dilys Osei in the 400m Hurdles (5^th, 1:05.10). Osei and Bland were also part of Emory's fifth place 4x100 Relay team (48.73) with senior Alexandra Aiello and freshman Jordon Small. Small was also one of two Eagles to notch top-10 finishes in the field events, taking 10^th in the high jump at 1.50m while freshman Kaleena Jesson was ninth in the pole vault at 3.00m.

For the men's team, sophomore Daniel Pietsch led the Eagles, winning the 400m Dash with a time of 47.80 and taking fifth in the 200m Dash at 22.26. Junior Michael McBane placed fourth in the 1500m Run with a time of 4:03.99 while sophomore Benjamin Rogin was fourth in the 110m Hurdles (15.30) and sixth in the 400m Hurdles (56.77). Junior Michael Sisario had a sixth place finish in the 3000m Steeplechase, clocking in at 9:55.26 and classmate Ian McIsaac was seventh in the 800m Run with a time of 1:55.98. Senior Jacob Seigel led all field performers with a fourth place effort in the discus with a mark of 44.56m and senior Spencer Koh was fifth in the javelin at 48.28m.

Emory also saw two top-three finishes in the distance medley relay as the "B" team of McBane, junior Jake Schlessinger, sophomores Winton Leung and Shane Sullivan placed second with a time of 10:34.18 while the "A" team of seniors Josh Traynelis and Lukas Mees and freshmen Tyler Breeden and Ian George clocked in at 10:37.01 for third place.

The Eagles return to action next Friday and Saturday with the Emory Classic which will be held at the Woodruff PE Center stadium.