MACOMB, Ill. -- Freshmen Molly Dahlquist (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame) and Chase Coffey (Hanna City, Ill./Farmington) both won the 3,000 meter steeplechase to highlight action for the Bradley track and field teams at the Lee Calhoun Memorial Invitational Saturday.
Running the first steeplechase of her collegiate career, Dahlquist won the women's 3,000 meter steeplechase by nearly 40 seconds, finishing in a time of 11:01.98 and posted one of five top-five finishes on the day for the women's squad.
In the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase, Coffey edged Knox College's Kevin Box by four seconds with a time of 9:42.23 to win the race. Coffey's time ranks as the fifth best 3,000 meter steeplechase in program history.
"We were fortunate to have some really good weather today when it appeared we would have a rough day," head coach Marc Burns said. "The team ran well today with a few outstanding performances. Molly Dahlquist and Chase Coffey looked great in winning their first steeples today."
Freshman Kyela Specht (Munster, Ind./Munster) finished second in the 800 meters with a time of 2:16.82, finishing 35 one-hundredths of a second behind Marquette's Sarah Bell and paced five other Braves in the field. Freshman Hannah Booker (Tremont, Ill./Tremont) was on Specht's heels in third with a season-best time of 2:18.03.
Freshman Eric Delvo (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) was eighth in the men's 800 meters, clocking a season-best time of 1:57.21.
The women's 1,500 meters saw sophomore Whitney Schumacher (Appleton, Wis./Kimberly) finish fourth, crossing the line in a time of 4:45.26. Senior Sarah Hallstein (Minier, Ill./Olympia) was 14th in the field at 5:07.24, while junior Chelsea Griffin (Petersburg, Ill./PORTA) won her heat with a career-best time of 5:09.98 to finish 15th.
"I was also really excited to see Chelsea Griffin win her heat in the 1500 meters," Burns added. "She ran a big personal best, but more importantly she ran with a lot of heart and found a way to win. She made a decision to go after the win and was not going to be denied."
Sophomore Shane Garland (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves) took sixth in the men's 1,500 meters (4:03.53), with sophomore Nathan Davis (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown) following in 10th (4:08.43). In the men's 3,000 meters, freshman Marshall Moyer (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington) was BU's top finisher at 13th, turning in a time of 9:17.23.
In the 4x400 meter relay, Booker, Specht, Taylor Johnson (Lincoln, Neb./Southeast) and Emily Wolbers (Moline, Ill./Moline) finished fourth (4:14.85) on the women's side, while the men's 4x400 team of Delvo, Garland, Coffey and Nick Skromme (Ottawa, Ill./Marquette) placed 11th at 3:33.90.
Freshman Jennifer Wiley (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) was Bradley's top finisher in two events, turning in a time of 13.94 seconds in the 100 meters and the team's best time this spring in the 200 meters at 28.72 seconds. Fellow freshman Dana Markech (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) finished 11th in the 1000 meter hurdles with a season-best time of 16.87 seconds to highlight Saturday's action.
The Bradley track and field team returns to action next Saturday at the Gateway Classic in Edwardsville, Ill.
