The William and Mary women's track and field team won four titles Friday to open the Colonial Athletic Association Championships, opening up a sizeable lead over the rest of the five-team field.  The Tribe leads with 76.5 points after six events, with James Madison second at 42 points and Delaware third with 37.5 points.

Complete Results

Javelin Throw
The first event of the day was the javelin, where freshman Katie Johnston (Haddonfield, N.J.) put it all together with a career-best throw of 43.83 meters (143-9) to win the conference title.  It was the first CAA gold for the Tribe in the event since Lynsey Paul '01 won back in 1999.  Johnston's throw broke the freshman record by nearly five feet, and it was the sixth-longest single throw ever at W&M.  She now ranks third in school history, and is 45th in the East Region heading into the ECAC Championships.

Also in the javelin, junior Anna Rose Gellert (Providence, N.J.) improved her lifetime-best by 7.5 feet to throw 38.41m (126-0), and just missed all-conference honors with a fourth-place finish.  Gellert now ranks ninth all-time at W&M.  Classmate Kayla Trantham (Poquoson, Va.) was 11th, improving her lifetime-best nearly two feet to throw 32.38m (106-3).

Hammer Throw
In the hammer throw, senior Natalie Baird (Sterling, Va.) won her second CAA title and first in the discipline with her lifetime-best effort of 49.09m (161-1).  The throw ranks her third all-time at W&M, and makes her just the third hammer champion in school history, first since 2008.  As the conference champ, Baird gained an automatic entry into the ECAC Championships in the hammer to go with her previous qualification in the discus.  Also setting lifetime bests were junior Erin Challis (Toano, Va.) and freshman Rochelle Evans (Christiansburg, Va.).  Challis took 11th at 41.89m (137-5), and now ranks 12th in school history.  Evans was 15th with her throw of 38.91m (127-8), improving to 14th all-time at W&M.

5,000m Run
Freshman Meghan McGovern (North Wales, Pa.) claimed her first conference title in record-setting fashion, running 16:34.10 to break the CAA and stadium records and win gold.  McGovern also improved her career best by 11 seconds in the win, improving to 10th all-time in school history.  Junior Elaina Balouris (Allison Park, Pa.)  was right behind her for second, running 16:34.11, and sophomore Carolyn Hennessey (Herndon, Va.) completed the podium sweep with a third-place 17:04.21.  All three women broke the ECAC qualifying barrier.

Also running, freshman Erica Amatori (Cary, N.C.) added a team point with her eighth-place finish in 17:36.55, just ahead of classmate Becca Eudailey (Quinton, Va.), ninth in 17:38.39.  Both freshmen qualified for the U.S. Junior Championships with the performances (as did McGovern).

10,000m Run
The fourth championship of the day came in the 10,000m, where freshman Emily Stites (Wyoming, Ohio) continued her remarkable year with her first conference title.  Running the race for the first time, Stites demolished the conference record by nearly 90 seconds, running 34:15.49.  It was also the Tribe's freshman record, and the fourth-fastest race ever for W&M.  Stites now ranks third all-time at W&M, and this season, ranks 28th in the NCAA, 15th in the East region, and No. 1 in the world for junior athletes.

The Tribe also had three more ECAC qualifiers in the event.  Sophomore Dylan Hassett (Alpharetta, Ga.) was fourth in 35:41.42, and junior Lauren Strapp (Raleigh, N.C.) finished seventh in 37:10.14 in her debut at the distance.  Senior Melissa DiVecchia (Centreville, Va.) re-affirmed her qualifications to the ECAC meet with her ninth-place 37:36.64, and classmate Sara Lasker (Fredericksburg, Va.) was just behind the qualifying standard with her 37:50.35 for 10th.  Junior Allison Bartels (Bristow, Va.) finished in 12th place, shaving more than 80 seconds off of her previous best to cross the line in 38:35.75.

Pole Vault
In the pole vault, sophomore Elizabeth Crafford (Darien, Conn.) matched her season-best mark with a clearance at 3.72m (!2-2.5), good for second place and eight team points.  She also re-qualified for the ECAC Championships in the process.

Long Jump
Junior Nicole Dory (Fort Worth, Texas) out-stripped her seed in the long jump, jumping 5.42m (17-9.5) to move up into a tie for seventh overall and score an unexpected 1.5 points for the Tribe.  Freshman Olivia Jebb (Cornwall, N.Y.) was 14th overall, in 5.06m (16-7.25).

200m Dash
The Tribe also had seven athletes qualify for Saturday's finals in four preliminary events.  In the 200m dash, freshman Jessica Ewing (Virginia Beach, Va.) bettered her own school record with a time of 24.50 seconds, and moved on to finals as the fourth seed.  Classmate Shelby Feliciano (Winchester, Va.) was 23rd overall in 26.58 seconds.

400m Dash
Ewing earned a second finals spot int he 400m dash, running 55.50 seconds to advance as the fifth seed.  The race broke the Tribe's freshman record that had stood for 30 years, and was the third-fastest race ever run for W&M.  Ewing also qualified for the ECAC Championships, and now ranks third in school history.  Classmate Claire Tito (Richmond, Va.) was 10th overall in a season-best 57.24 seconds, improving to ninth all-time at W&M.  Sophomore Sarah Katz (Manakin-Sabot, Va.) was 17th in 59.39 seconds, and Feliciano was 20th with a career-best 59.92 seconds.

400m Hurdles
In the 400m hurdles, sophomore Brittany Biagi (Mullica Hill, N.J.) ran a lifetime-best 1:04.30 to advance to tomorrow's finals in eighth place.  She also improved to eighth in school history in the event.  Classmate Grayson Llerandi (Ridgewood, N.J.) had a lifetime-best of her own in 13th place, running 1:05.60 for 14th all-time at W&M, and freshman Breanna Brukalo (Staten Island, N.Y.) ran a season-best 1:05.97, 16th on the day, to improve to 15th all-time for the Tribe.

800m Run
The Tribe had an amazing run of success in the 800m prelims, advancing four athletes against a formchart that predicted only one.  Katie Buenaga (Greenville, Del.) led the way with a fourth-place 2:13.44, just ahead of Michelle Britto's (Woodbridge, Va.) fifth-place 2:13.66.  Junior Olivia Harding (Roanoke, Va.) ran a lifetime-best 2:15.05 to earn the seventh-seed in the finals and senior Avery Mattingly (Blacksburg, Va.) set another lifetime-best in 2:15.09 for eighth.  Just missing the finals was sophomore Casey Lardner (Burke, Va.), with a lifetime-best 2:15.21, while classmate Maggie Gutierrez (Purcellville, Va.) ran 2:21.89 for 15th place.  Freshman Juliana Marcucci (Riverhead, N.Y.) rounded out the team's contingent in 2:28.61.

100m Hurdles
In addition to her work in the 400m hurdles, Biagi also tried her hand at the 100m hurdles for the first time, running 16.15 for 12th place in the prelims.

The CAA Championships finish up Saturday, with the finals in 15 events.

2013 CAA Women's Track and Field Championships
1. William and Mary 76.5
2. James Madison 42
3. Delaware 37.5
4. Northeastern 34
5. UNCW 18
6. Towson 14