The St. Lawrence University women's track and field team headed out on the road to continue the indoor season with a series of personal records at the Utica Winter Opener on Friday.

"We competed very well today across the events," said Saints head coach Kate Howard. "We're continuing to show we're in a great place both in the field and on the track at this juncture in the season. We ended the day with an exciting come from behind victory in the 4x400m relay which gives us some great momentum and energy as we look ahead to our meet at home next weekend."

The Saints were led by a standout distance showing and a victory in the relay to highlight a successful trip to the Hutton Sports and Recreation Center. Avery Blanchard set the tone for the Saints in the 5,000-meter run, taking first place with a time of 18:39.07. Paige Poirier also performed well in the distance event, battling to a fourth-place finish in 20:07.12.

The momentum stayed with St. Lawrence in the relays, as the 4x400-meter team of Amelia Berthold, Margaret McNally, Addison Ash, and Madison Beaudoin combined for a winning time of 4:12.77.

In the short sprints, Ella Baker followed up her program-record outing with another high finish. Baker took second place in the 200-meter dash, clocking a personal-best time of 25.99. She also added a podium finish in the 60-meter dash, crossing the line in 7.98 to take third. Grace Galbreath represented the Saints with a time of 9.85 in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing third.

The 400-meter dash proved to be a major source of progress for the roster, as three different Saints recorded personal bests. Addison Ash led the group with a third-place finish in 1:03.03, followed by Kaitlyn Putman in fifth at 1:07.18 and Maya Dixon in sixth at 1:08.25.
 
Closing out the individual highlights on the track, Beaudoin added to her successful relay leg with a strong individual performance in the 800-meter run. Beaudoin secured fourth place and a new personal best with a time of 2:24.12.

St. Lawrence now returns home to host the St. Lawrence Invitational over a two-day period in late January, where they welcome a series of teams to the Newell Field House on Friday, January 23.