Less than 20 points separated the top three teams at the UWEC Easter Invitational, held in Eau Claire on April 13. With stiff competition, the Blugold women’s track and field team took first of seven teams at the event.

Eau Claire finished with 149 points, and trailing closely behind was UW-River Falls with 141 points. The University of Minnesota-Duluth finished in third place with with 130.5 points.

“We lost to River Falls last week,” freshman Jessie Beaulieu said. “As a team, we wanted to go out there and win against them.”

The Blugolds posted five first-place finishes and had a number of personal bests during the meet.

Freshman Melissa Wright posted a first-place time of 2 minutes, 22.44 seconds in the 800-meter dash.

Sophomore Karin Diestelmeier won the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:52.06. She also placed fourth in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:29.49

Beaulieu won the javelin throw for the Blugolds with a throw of 91 feet, eight inches.

“I practiced hard that whole week,” Beaulieu said. “I wanted my form to be good.”

This throw was a personal record for Beaulieu. She also achieved a personal best in the discus throw with an 11.9-meter throw.

Junior Kathy Thompson took the final individual first for the Blugolds with a high jump of five feet, 3.75 inches.

Thompson took second in the javelin throw, third in the 100-meter high hurdles and fourth in the long jump.

The 4×400 relay team also of freshman Katie Miller, sophomore Rebecca Brandner, sophomore Rheata Bauer and freshman Mary Dettwiler finished in first place for the Blugolds with a time of 4:10.72.

The Blugolds also raked in five second-place finishes during the meet.

Freshman Brooke Wozniak threw the shot 40 feet, five inches to earn second place. This was also a personal record for Wozniak.

“We had a lot of P.R.’s at this meet,” Beaulieu said. “People were doing well in almost all of their events.”

In the hammer throw, sophomore Anna Nelson improved her personal best from 119 feet, 10.75 inches to 127 feet, seven inches. This throw was good enough to give her fifth place.