MECHANICSBURG, PA – The Alfred University women's track & field team wrapped up a long weekend on Saturday at Messiah University, finishing 11^th out of the 22-team field.
 
Anne Spila (Mechanicsburg, PA/Trinity) broke the Alfred University school record in the heptathlon with 3,766 points, surpassing teammate, Ana Ion (Bucharest, Romania/Episcopal School of Jacksonville) and her score of 3,745 points, set in 2021.
 
Spila finished sixth in the event, scoring high in both the 200-meter dash and the 100-meter hurdles. Spila scored 684 points in the 200 with a time of 27.34 and 619 points in the hurdles with a time of 16.80, both events took place on Thursday evening. Following right behind Spila, Bianca Durso (Utica, NY/New Hartford Senior) claimed eighth place with 3,591 points. The duo competed among a field of 23 multi athletes. Durso's top-scoring events came from the high jump on Thursday, scoring 621 points with a height of 1.50m (4'-11") and from the 800-meter run on Friday, clocking in a time of 2:37.59 for 601 points.
 
The majority of the meet was contested on Saturday. The top individual finish was from Ion as she scored six points in the triple jump. She hopped-skipped-jumped to third place with a distance of 10.58m (34'-8.5"). The top individual finish on the track was Ashley O'Toole (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) and her 3,000-meter steeplechase performance. She clocked in a personal best time of 12:59.84 for the second time in a row for the event. The time was good enough for fourth place and another five team points. O'Toole was joined by Olivia Gilbert (Ontario, NY/Wayne Central), McKenzie Hall (Hornell, NY/Hornell) and Sarah Lutkins (Union Springs, NY/Union Springs) for the overall top finish of the entire meet in the 4x800-meter relay. The four combined for a time of 10:20.24, edging out the team from the hosts, Messiah and their time of 10:20.69.
 
Just behind O'Toole on the track, Gilbert scored four points from her fifth place finish in the 800-meter run, running a 2:22.56 for almost a four-second personal record. Madison Palmer (East Aurora, NY/East Aurora) tacked on one point to the team total with an eight place finish in the shot put, throwing 10.79m (35'-5").
 
Hall was 0.39 seconds away from earning a point towards the team total, running a personal best time of 5:00.46 in the 1,500-meter run and finishing ninth.
 
The Saxons now have only two regular season meets remaining before the Empire 8 Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by Utica University on May 5 and May 6. They will next head to the University of Rochester for a one-day meet on Saturday, April 22.