Kathleen Merchant broke an 11-year old school record in the discus and won two events to lead the St. Lawrence University women's outdoor track and field team to a win in the five-team St. Lawrence Invitational on Saturday afternoon at Merrick-Pinkard Track & Field Complex.

Merchant won the discus with a throw of 39.56 meters, beating the mark set by Alyssa Pirinelli in 2010 by 31 centimeters. She added a win in the shot put with throw of 11.91 meters, with both marks hitting the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference Championship qualifying standard. 

St. Lawrence won the event with 168 points, with Union College finishing second with 126. Plattsburgh State was third with 102, while Castleton was fourth with 66 points. SUNY Potsdam finished fifth with eight points.

Haylei Coolican trimmed nearly 12 seconds off her time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, winning the race in 11 minutes, 48.38 seconds, to join Merchant as an AARTFC Championship qualifier, and Kimberly Merchant had a breakout throw in the discus, posting a mark of 37.80 to finish second behind her twin sister and also qualify for the AARTFC Championships. The distance was a PR of 1.10 meters.

St. Lawrence Head Coach Kate Howard
"We had a terrific day at the Merrick-Pinkard Track & Field Complex for our fourth, and largest, home meet of the season. Throughout the season the team has demonstrated impressive growth in their focus and competitive drive and we are continuing to build momentum and steadily improve performances across the events. 

"Kath Merchant was once again remarkable, etching her name into the St. Lawrence record books, this time in the discus throw. We're looking forward to hosting a final home meet next weekend before heading into the Liberty League West Championship."
 
St. Lawrence Event Winners
Kathleen Merchant – Discus (39.56 meters); Shot put (11.91 meters)
Isabel Caprood – 100 hurdles (16.13)
Haylei Coolican – 3,000 steelplechase (11:48.36)
Olivia Middleton – Long jump (4.85 meters)
Alexa Smith – 400 (1:04.17)

Complete Results

Up Next: SLU Invitational, Saturday, May 1.