NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Freshman Sarah McMahon (Colfax, Wis./Colfax) finished sixth and sophomore Cassie Lohmeier (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) was seventh in the 3,000 meters to highlight action for the Bradley women's track and field team Saturday at the season-opening Black and Gold Invitational hosted by Vanderbilt.
McMahon and Lohmeier became the third and fourth individuals in program history to run sub 10-minute times in the 3,000 meters Saturday in the first outdoor meet of the year for the Braves. McMahon missed a top three finish by five seconds, placing sixth at 9:58.09 with her time ranking third on BU's career best list, while Lohmeier was on her heels in seventh at 9:59.66. The duo joined Mary Ellen Hill and Mary Goldkamp as the only Bradley runners to run sub 10-minute times in the 3,000 meters.
"Sarah (McMahon) and Cassie (Lohmeier) ran a very smart race today," head coach Marc Burns said. "They moved up through the pack slowly and finished strong. This was a big personal best for Cassie. As a whole, we ran very well. There were a few spots where we could have been better but we are pleased with the effort and competitiveness for our first outdoor meet."
Freshman Kyela Specht (Munster, Ind./Munster) was Bradley's top finisher in both the 800 and 1,500 meters. Specht was 10th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:18.18, which ranks ninth on BU's career best list. Fellow freshman Hannah Booker (Tremont, Ill./Tremont) was 14th in the 800 at 2:19.15, while the pair of freshman Taylor Johnson (Lincoln, Neb./Southeast) and Lohmeier both crossed the line at 2:20.20.
In the 1,500 meters, Specht was 14th overall at 4:45.99 for the 12th fastest time on BU career best list. Specht also teamed with Booker, Johnson and sophomore Sarah Higgins (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) in the 4x400 meter relay, helping the Braves to a 10th-place finish with a time of 4:07.86.
Junior Hanna Muegge (Hopkins, Minn./Hopkins) made her track and field debut after lettering in basketball each of the last four seasons. Muegge finished 25th in the long jump with a leap of 4.54 meters in her first outing.
The Bradley track and field team returns to action Friday and Saturday at the EIU Big Blue in Charleston, Ill.
