Women's Track & Field | 1/31/2010 5:25:23 PM

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ROCHESTER, NY - The RIT women's track and field team had a great showing at the Empire 8 Championship meet which was held at the Gordon Field House on Sunday. The team placed second behind Ithaca with a team score of 97 points. Ithaca won the Championship with a team score of 222 points.

Senior Samantha Mitchell (Southlake, TX/Carroll) had a terrific day as she broke the 55-meter dash record. Mitchell, along with alumni LaKeisha Perez (Buffalo, NY/Leonardo Da Vinci), previously held the record which has been set since 2006. Mitchell broke the record by sprinting through the finish line with a time of 7.43 seconds. This time also assisted her in placing second. Mitchell later went on to also place second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.22 seconds.

RIT dominated the 200-meter dash, taking second through fifth in the race. Junior Abby Arday (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder), senior Caitlyn Peterson (Ontario, NY/Wayne), and sophomore Jen Adams (Batavia, NY/Batavia) followed behind Mitchell in the dash each scoring for the team. Arday finished third with a time of 27.29, Peterson was fourth in 27.43, and Adams was fifth with a time of 27.89.

Arday also had a spectacular performance in the 400-meter dash where she placed second. Arday completed the race in a time of 61.84 seconds. Arday also assisted the 4x400-meter relay in a second place finish. The team consisting of Arday, Alex Bush (Lake Hopatcong, NJ/Pope John XXIII), Jennie Springer (Rochester, NY/Fairport), and Jillian Putney (Dansville, NY/Dansville) completed the relay race in a time of 4:16.04.

Senior Jamie Morey (LeRoy, NY/Notre Dame) was the other second place finisher for the team. Morey placed second in the 20 pound weight throw with a toss of 14.14 meters.

Freshman pole vaulter Emily Valle (Rochester, NY/Fairport) came in third in the event with a height of 2.45 meters. Valle was the sole third place finisher.

There were several fourth place finishes throughout the day, starting with the first event of the distance medley relay. The relay team consisting of Joelle Scarnati (Cranberry Township, PA/Seneca Valley), Lauren Rock (Arnold, MD/Broadneck), Brianne Yannotta (Lake Ronkonkoma, NY/Sachem North), and Anna Guthrie (Essex Junction, VT/Essex) placed fourth with a time of 13:37.05.

Putney also placed fourth in the 55-meter hurdles finals. Putney finished the trials in a time of 9.22 seconds and then went on to run a time of 9.41 seconds for the finals. Peterson placed fourth in the 55-meter dash with a final time of 7.74 seconds. The final fourth place finish came from freshman Rachel Zoyhofski (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta) in the 5,000-meter race. Zoyhofski crossed the finish line in a time of 19:22.89.

The women's track and field team will be back in action Saturday as the travel to Syracuse, NY for the Syracuse Invitational.