Haylei Coolican secured her first individual Liberty League Championship on Friday afternoon in Rochester, New York by running away from the field in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to lead the St. Lawrence University women's track and field team on the first day of the two-day meet.

The Senior from Syracuse pulled away in the first lap, and never looked back to finish in a meet record time of 10:42.88. That is the fourth fastest time run in the country this year, and likely qualified her for the NCAA Championship meet. Her teammate and defending champion Emma Palumbo took second place, finishing in 11:23.94, over 16 seconds ahead of third place. Bridget Hastings ran a 10-second personal record, to nap fourth place and earn her first individual Liberty League podium.
 

Olivia Watson was the lone Saint in the 10,000 meters, and ran with a pack of four through the first half. As the lead runner began to pull away, Watson created space between herself and third place. She continued to pull ahead of the field in second place and crossed the line in a personal best of 37:39.06 to finish second place, her best finish at a Liberty League Championship Meet.

The final point scorer on the first day came in the long jump. Olivia Middleton jumped a personal best 5.48. She had already jumped two personal records on the day, but her sixth and final jump catapulted her from seventh up to fourth.

Other highlights from the day include Alli Sibold finishing second in her heat to earn the automatic qualifier in the 800 meters. First-year Kaylee Bertini also advanced to finals in the 400-meter hurdles by running the seventh fastest time of the day.

At the end of day one, the Saints finish with the third most points in the eight team meet. They return tomorrow for the conclusion of the championships with events beginning at noon.

Head coach Kate Howard
"We enjoyed a successful day one of the Liberty League Championships today. Our goal is always to be at our best for the championship stretch of the season, and we certainly turned in the PRs and season best marks to prove we're right where we had hoped we would be. Haylei Coolican was once again outstanding, not only taking the win and securing her spot for the NCAA championships, but she also tied Wendy Pavlus' championship record, which was quite remarkable. It was great to see so many Saints on the podium today, as well as to have a number of team members qualified to come back in finals tomorrow. We will look to carry this excitment and momentum into day two tomorrow."

Saints in the Top Eight
Sibold – 800 (2:18.44) Q
Watson – 10,000 (37:39.06) 2^nd
Bertini – 400mH (1:09.29) q
Coolican – 3,000mSC (10:42.88) 1^st
Palumbo – 3,000mSC (11:23.94) 2^nd
Hastings – 3,000mSC (11:46.79) 4^th
Middleton – LJ (5.48m) 4^th