RESULTS

CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The Lee University women's track & field team began the outdoor season on Saturday in the Lee Invitational at the Ray Conn Sports Complex. The Lady Flames combined to reach five NCAA Division II provisional qualifying marks to go along with 31 top 10 performances.

Leading the way was Celine Ritter with two provisional performances. Ritter met the 1500-meter run standard of 4:32.09 with a time of 4:31.37. The time is the eighth-best recorded so far this season. Ritter also met the provisional of the 5000-meter run. She crossed the finish line at 17:03.02 to finish four seconds under the time to meet (17:07.10). Lily Hare also met the provisional in the 5000 with a time of 17:05.44. Ritter and Hare currently stand at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, in the event.
Carissa Hall recorded the sixth-best long jump in DII with a 6.03 meter mark to exceed the provisional distance of 5.83 meters. Kristen Blevins finished 0.08 seconds under the 100-meter dash qualifying time of 11.85 seconds. Her time of 11.77 is 13^th in the 100.

Blevins won the 100-meter dash with Jydia Faucette in fourth place at 11.97 seconds. The duo was joined by Hall and Eve Hine in the top 10 of the 200-meter dash. Blevins was second (24.45), Hall fourth (24.68), Hine fifth (24.77) and Faucette was eighth (24.99). Kaia Martz finished 12^th (25.41) and Sydney White placed 16^th (26.47). White also finished 10^th in the 100-meter hurdles after crossing the finish line at 16.85 seconds. 

Martz added a third-place finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.40 seconds. Julia Halterman and Phoee Moran joined Ritter in the top 10 of the 1500. Ritter won the race with Halterman in third (4:51.60) and Moran seventh (5:00.09). 
Ritter and Hare led five other Lady Flames into the top eight of the 5000-meter run. Ritter was the event winner with Hare in second. Aria Hawkins was third (17:16.85) and Megan Adams finished fourth (17:26.12). Liza Kellerman finished the race at 17:51.07 for sixth, Olivia McLain was seventh (17:51.33) and Katie Krueger came in eighth (18:03.30). Elizabeth Beckham (18:47.00) finished 16^th and Elizabeth Heckman was 18^th (18:59.65).

Ashlyn Iliff was second in the 3000-meter steeplechase. She stopped the clock at 11:26.21. The 4x100 relay team of Faucette, Hall, Jaila Whitaker and Blevins placed second with a combined time of 47.27.
Hall won the long jump with Faucette right behind in second with a jump of 5.71 meters. Brynn Depinet cleared 3.51 meters to win the pole vault, while Devon Jackett placed third in the high jump with a clearance of 1.51 meters.

Deborah Rubin won the shot put with a mark of 13.31 meters. White was second at 11.42 meters and Nitia Howard placed seventh with a throw of 10.74 meters. Howard also finished 17^th with a discus throw of 25.16 meters.
Rubin and Howard were in the top seven of the hammer throw. Rubin's throw of 47.63 meters was good for second and Howard was seventh with a 35.42-meter throw. Samara Brinks was 11^th with a mark of 33.21 meters. 

White and Brinks were Lee's representatives in the javelin throw. White finished third with a throw of 30.21 meters, while Brinks' thow of 22.88 meters put her in ninth.

The Lady Flames will return to action the weekend of April 7-8 in the Flames Invitational. The two-day event will be held at the Ray Conn Sports Complex.