DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Clear skies, sun and roar of engines from neighboring Daytona International Speedway were the setting for the Embry-Riddle women's track and field team Saturday as they hosted the ERAU Indoor/Outdoor Challenge at the ERAU Track and Field Complex. The meet saw Sunshine State Conference member Florida Southern participate, as well as a host of familiar schools hailing from Embry-Riddle's NAIA and The Sun Conference days.

Said Heach Coach Mike Rosolino, "In general, we showed a lot of improvement from last week to this meet.  I was proud of the effort today. We had several personal bests which shows that we are working hard and getting better. We need to build on this and get better each week."
 
In the weight throw, freshman Amber Sauer recorded a fourth-place result with a distance of 13.11m. The shot-put saw four top-10 results for the Eagles, led by Sauer's 11.01m runner-up finish. Victoria Perez (10.28m) placed sixth, while sisters Sophia Gustely (9.92m) and Phoebe Gustely (9.58m) placed seventh and ninth, respectively. The 9.92m attempt from Sophia was a new personal best mark.
 
Switching to the discus, it was another strong showing for the Blue & Gold. Phoebe Gustley was the top performer with a throw of (41.26m), and was followed by Sophia Gustely (38.61m) and Sauer (36.60m). Perez (33.90m) came in fifth, and Hannah Thomas-Russell (24.69m) rounded out the top-10.
 
Emma Sorenson was the lone Eagle to participate in the triple jump and long jump Saturday. She took home a fifth in the triple jump with a new PR of 10.25m, and a 15th in the long jump with a 4.31m effort. Ukeyvia Beckwith took home the top spot in the high jump, as she cleared the 1.65m mark for a season best. Marissa Burke turned in a top-10 performance with a 1.35m effort.
 
Turning to the track for the 3,000m race, the Eagles' contingent was led by Kara Funke, who finished fourth with a new personal-best time of 10:38.43. The other two Eagles in the event, Josie Gray and Kaitlyn Buck, finished in 12th and 17th with times of 11:28.87 and 12:24.42 respectively.
 
The 800m event saw the Blue & Gold sweep the top three spots and all seven runners placed in the top-10. Beckwith (2:20.77) led the way, followed by Anna Miller (2:23.12) and Morgan Dudley (2:23.96), who set a new PR in the event. Alyssa Zack (2:26.77), Grayson Iller (2:29.26) and Rachel Jones (2:31.21) captured the fifth through seventh spots, while Sara Towers (2:34.38) placed ninth.
 
In the 60m hurdles, Devonne Friday was the leading Eagle with a fourth-place marker of 9.23 seconds. Kamri Roan placed ninth in 10.15 seconds, while Tyller Campbell rounded out the top-10 with an effort of 10.18 seconds, which set a new personal best for her. Former Embry-Riddle team member Kortney Gray, running unattached, claimed the top spot in a time of 8.71 seconds.
 
The Eagles went 1-2 in the 1,000m race with the duo of Miller, who turned in a time of 3:07.41, and Zack, who clocked a 3:10.89. In the 400 meters, Dudley and Friday placed in the top-10 with times of 59.97 and 1:00.75. Both runs were good enough for new personal records.
 
In the 60-meter dash, Breonna Butts led the way for the Eagles, as she placed fourth with a personal-best time of 7.70 seconds. Nina Richardson Posted an eighth-place result of 7.84 seconds. Once again, it was former Eagle Kortney Gray collecting the win, as she turned in a time of 7.49 seconds. The 200 meter race saw Butts collect a seventh-place run in 26.51 seconds.
 
The mile saw Alyssa Zack finish third with a personal-best time of 5:27.83, while Rachel Jones finished fifth in 5:34.88. Maggie Allen (19:45.60) and Kaitlyn Buck (20:56.06) checked in with second and fifth-place runs in the 5,000 meters.
 
The final event of the day, the 4x400 relay, saw two teams compete for the Blue & Gold. The Eagles' a-team of Beckwith, Friday, Dudley and Miller placed runner-up to Southeastern University with a time of 3:55.47, the best time for the event by an ERAU team this season. The b-team of Butts, Roan, Campbell and Ashley Moore came home seventh in 4:20.07.
 
Embry-Riddle will be back on track next weekend as they return to the University of South Carolina for the Carolina Challenge.