The William and Mary women's track and field team opened the 2012 spring campaign Saturday, hosting several teams from around the state in a rainy Tribe Invitational.  The Tribe had seven all-time top-16 performances, and earned one ECAC qualification.

Discus
In the discus, junior Natalie Baird (Sterling, Va.) won her signature event with an ECAC-qualifying throw of 45.47 meters (149-2).  It was the 12th-best throw ever at W&M, and 12th-best of Baird's career as she has been responsible for 14 of the top 16 performances in school history.

Hammer Throw
Baird came back to take second in the hammer throw, hurling the 12-lbs implement a distance of 47.12m (154-7).  Sophomore Erin Challis (Toano, Va.) took eighth at 38.99m (127-11), a personal-best by 7.5 feet that improved her to 13th-best all-time at W&M.

Shot Put
Natalie Baird earned her third top-two performance of the day in the shot put, with a put of 12.87m (42-2.75).

Triple Jump
In the triple jump, senior Lynnie Bresnahan (Orange, Va.) sailed past her previous best outdoors to take third with a leap of 11.33m (37-2.25).  It is the 16th-best jump ever recorded outdoors at the College, and improves Bresnahan to sixth on the all-time athletes list.  Sophomore Grace Elizabeth Oxley (Silver Spring, Md.) was fourth with another lifetime-best, jumping 11.14m (36-6.75).  Oxley now ranks ninth in school history among athletes in the event.

100m Dash
Freshman Sydnee Pierce (Lumberton, N.J.) took third in her first collegiate 100m dash, timing 12.60 seconds.  She is now tied for 10th in school history, with Mallory Hogan '09.

400m Hurdles
In the 400m hurdles, freshman Brittany Biagi (Mullica Hill, N.J.) finished fourth overall in 1:06.95, ranking her alongside Amy Benner '95 for 16th all-time in the event.

400m Dash
The freshman cavalcade continued in the 400m dash, where Maggie Gutierrez (Purcellville, Va.) continued to impress after a strong indoor season by taking fifth in 57.97 seconds.  Her time ranks Gutierrez 10th in school history outdoors in the quarter-mile.

1,500m Run
Also of note, W&M had three women finish in the top five of the 1,500m run.  Junior Katie Buenaga (Greenville, Del.) led the way in second, running a lifetime-best 4:36.94.  Michelle Britto (Woodbridge, Va.) was third in 4:38.45, and Avery Mattingly (Blacksburg, Va.) crossed the line in 4:45.36 for fifth place.

Long Jump
In the long jump, sophomore Nicole Dory (Fort Worth, Texas) was third with a leap of 5.36m (17-7).  Sydnee Pierce also competed in the event, taking fifth with a mark of 5.27m (17-3.5).

Javelin Throw
W&M also picked up a bronze medal in the javelin throw, courtesy of Anna Rose Gellert (Providence, N.J.) and her throw of 31.11m (102-1).  Kayla Trantham (Poquoson, Va.) was fifth in the event, hurling her spear a distance of 24.99m (82-0).

4x100m Relay
The College's final top-five showing came in the 4x100m relay, with a fourth-place finish in 50.13 seconds.  The quartet included Grace Elizabeth Oxley, Sarah Katz (Manakin-Sabot, Va.), Brittany Biagi, and Sydnee Pierce.

William and Mary returns to action next weekend with two meets.  The majority of the squad will travel north to Richmond for the Fred Hardy Invitational, while select athletes may head down to N.C. State for the Raleigh Relays.