HOUGHTON, NY – The Alfred University women's track & field team finished fifth out of seven teams during the two-day Empire 8 Indoor Championships, hosted by Houghton University, seeing a new school record being set on Saturday.
 
The Saxons established a new school record for most Empire 8 Event Championship Titles in a single indoor season with three first place finishes. Bianca Durso (Utica, NY/New Hartford Senior) got the first All-Empire 8 First Team honors with her victory in the pentathlon on Friday evening. She scored 2,950 points (second most in school history) to claim the win. Next, after earning the top seed on Saturday in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.42, Anne Spila (Mechanicsburg, PA/Trinity) won in the finals with a dominant, All-Atlantic Regional Track & Field Conference (AARTFC) time of 9.32. Saturday's final Empire 8 victory was had by Olivia Gilbert (Ontario, NY/Wayne Central) who ran an AARTFC time of 2:18.28 in the 800-meter run, earning her second indoor title in a row and third overall Empire 8 title (both indoor and outdoor) in the 800. The three totaled 30 of Alfred's 47.66 points.
 
"Outstanding performances across the board! I couldn't be happier with how everyone on the team showed up for this championship meet," Head Coach Matt Phillips '10 said. "Each Saxon supported their teammates and created such a positive atmosphere. Today was truly a great day."
 
Gilbert earned another All-Empire 8 honor with a Third Team finish in the 400-meter dash, running an AARTFC time of 1:00.47, 0.22 away from second place and breaking her own school record, again, topping last week's Nazareth Conference Tune-Up Invitational time of 1:00.90. Gilbert scored another six points for the Saxons.
 
McKenzie Hall (Hornell, NY/Hornell) scored four points for AU with her fourth place finish in the mile on Firday. She clocked in a time of 5:26.76 to close out an exciting finish, just 0.45 away from third place and an All-Conference honor.
 
Spila and Durso tied with a Nazareth jumper in the high jump for fourth place. The three split the score to each earn 2.33 points as they all cleared 1.46m (4'-9.5").
 
AU's last points were scored on Friday night as the distance medley relay team earned a podium spot with a time of 15:10.59. The team of Sarah Lutkins (Union Springs, NY/Union Springs), Zoe Rainville (Saranac, NY/Saranac), Natalya Ryckman (New Eagle, PA/Ringgold) and Desirea Stuart (Jasper, NY/Jasper-Troupsburg) scored a point for the Saxons as they finished over Hartwick College.