In its first meet of 2004, the BG women’s track team ran away with a third place finish with 136, defeating Ohio University (70.5) and Detroit Mercy (57). Miami (169) and Western Michigan (151.5) finished in first and second place, respectively.

Head coach Scott Sehmann was happy with the team’s performance, but sees room for improvement.

“We had a good hard week of practice coming off of break. Overall, we’re pleased, but we could have come out a little better,” Sehmann said after Saturday’s meet.

There were many good performances by the Falcons throughout the day, including a new school record set by Alicia Taylor, a senior hurdler who finished first in the 60 meter hurdles. Teammate Nicole Standback finished fifth.

“Alicia Taylor’s record (8.53) in the 60 meter hurdles was probably the highlight of the meet,” Sehmann said.

Meanwhile, Amber Culp gave the distance runners something to cheer about after finishing first in the 5000 meter run.

“We scored in almost everything, which was a big goal of ours. I think we did real well compared with other meets,” Culp said.

For fellow distance teammate, freshman Bridget Dalic, Saturday’s meet was a learning experience. She finished sixth in the 5000 meter run (18:44.88).

“It wasn’t one of the best [performances]. I went out too fast trying to keep up with Amber and I need to focus less on the laps–it’s 25 [laps],” Dalic said. “It was a good time for my first experience, and I look forward to the rest of the season.”

In the 400 meter dash, Amber Walker (58.35) placed third and Tamika Dixon (1:00.81) took sixth.

The falcons dominated the 600 meters with Marquita McGowan placing first (1:40.08) and Lyndi Springer finishing third (1:43.63). In the 800 meter run, Melissa Krueger (2:20.13) placed fourth, followed by Kim Settle (2:24) in sixth place.

Nicole Suitor (5:20.73) placed sixth in the 1600 meter run as did Andrea Pollack (10:45.08) in the 3000 meter run.

The competition in the 4 x 400 meter relay was intense, with BG runners showing determination as they put forth their best efforts. Fans, coaches, and teammates screamed encouragement to the runners in all three heats.

“I’m happy with my outcome,” Sprinter Ashley Tukes said. “Our relays did extremely well.”

The falcon ‘A’ relay team placed second in 3:58.28, while the ‘B’ relay team placed fifth in 4:08.18.

In the field events, the Falcons’ Erica Wilson and Tamika Dixon placed second and fourth in the high jump.

In the long jump, Wilson and Sharonda Alexander took third and fourth place, respectively. Veronica Vance placed fourth in the triple jump and Jennifer Peck took fourth in the pole vault.

Both coach Sehmann and his runners are looking forward to the rest of the season, hoping for even further improvement as the season progresses.

“This meet gives us a good indication of where we’re at as a squad, but it’s not a true indicator,” Sehmann said. “In another four weeks, the team will be even stronger.”

Sehmann also noted that the younger runners on the team will benefit from the experience of future meets as the season unfolds. “Jessica White did well in her first meet and Marquita McGowan had a real good meet as well,” Sehmann said.

White placed third (8.02) in the 60 meter dash behind teammate Valerie Holland (7.91). In the 200 meter dash, White took fourth with a time of 25.82.

The Falcons’ next meet will be Saturday at Michigan.