Wilmington, NC - The Meredith College Avenging Angels Track & Field team traveled to Wilmington, North Carolina this weekend to compete at the UNCW Seahawk Invitational, turning in several strong performances across the track and field events in its outdoor season opener.

The sprint group was led by junior Abrianna Casarez posting the top Meredith mark in the 200 meters, clocking 26.84. In the 400 meters, the Avenging Angels had a strong showing with two athletes finishing inside the top ten. Sophomore Abigail Clayton led the group with an impressive 8th-place finish in 59.56, breaking the one-minute barrier. Casarez followed closely behind in 9th place with a time of 1:00.50, while senior Natasha Elder finished in 1:05.31.

The middle-distance squad competed well in both the 800 and 1500 meters. Freshman Emma Jolliff led Meredith in the 800 meters with a time of 2:35.72. Freshman Kaia Ramsey followed in 2:45.29, while senior Laura Brown (2:47.08) and senior Caitlin Brown (2:53.05) also competed. Ramsey returned to lead the Avenging Angels in the 1500 meters, finishing in 5:30.50. Laura Brown followed in 5:40.46.

In the hurdles, sophomore Halona Bryant turned in a strong performance in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing in 17.92. Bryant also represented Meredith in the triple jump, recording a mark of 9.09 meters (29'10").

The Avenging Angels relay teams delivered strong performances. The 4x100 meter relay team of Natasha Elder, Angel Southerland, Abrianna Casarez, and Abigail Clayton placed 8th with a school record time of 50.84. Meredith's 4x400 meter relay team finished out the day in 2nd overall as Natasha Elder, Carly O'Toole, Abrianna Casarez, and Abigail Clayton combined for a time of 4:16.78.

Meredith's throwers also had a productive meet. Freshman Jamie Cornatzer led the group with a 4th-place finish and school record in the hammer throw, reaching 36.70 meters (120'5"). Cornatzer also recorded a mark of 10.94 meters in the shot put and 29.15 meters in the discus. Junior Athena Mowatt threw 10.72 meters in the shot put, 24.09 meters in the discus, and added a javelin mark of 25.94 meters. Freshman Finley Sparks contributed with throws of 28.94 meters in the discus, 26.49 meters in the hammer, and 23.45 meters in the javelin.

The Avenging Angels will continue building momentum as they continue the outdoor season at the Phoenix Invitational on Friday hosted by Elon University in Elon, North Carolina.