Dukes Open 2016 Indoor Season With Father Diamond Invitational

Saturday, January 9

Fairfax, Va.

All Day

James Madison University

Father Diamond Invitational

Dukes Open 2016 Indoor Season With Father Diamond Invitational

1/9/2016 9:27:00 PM | Track & Field

FAIRFAX, Va. – The James Madison track & field team opened its 2016 indoor season on Saturday in the Father Diamond Invitational and picked up four personal records and two Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Indoor Championship meet qualifications.

"I thought it was a good start to the season for where we're at," head coach Chereé Hicks said. "It was a great way to get our feet wet and we found success with some personal records and ECAC qualifiers, but we still have a lot of work to. We will continue training hard and move forward."

Sophomore Aereale Scott led the way, turning in a time of 8.85 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles finals to take second place after posting an ECAC-qualifying time of 8.78 in the semifinals. Scott also showed up big for the Dukes in the 60-meter dash, reaching the finals and placing sixth with a time of 7.89 seconds. Her time of 7.73 seconds in the 60-meter dash semifinals set a new personal record and ranks eighth all-time in JMU history, just behind Rhonda Mason's 7.69 second feat in 1984.

Competing in the 4x800-meter relay earlier in the afternoon, sophomore Erica Gray, freshman Erica Jackson, junior Carol Strock and sophomore Madeleine McCarty sped to a first-place finish with a time of 9:19.69. The performance proved to be an ECAC qualifier as well, which was set at 9:25.24.

Posting a 1:21.66 time in the 500-meter dash, sophomore Gina Bischof beat her previous best of 1:22.29 at last year's Patriot Games. Goff then beat her previous personal best of 3:07.95 in the 1,000-meter run at the 2015 Liberty Open by achieving a time of 3:05.36 today. Rounding out the group of Dukes earning personal records, sophomore Nora Raher shaved more than seven seconds off her previous personal best in the one-mile run by crossing the finish line with a time of 5:18.24.

Several freshmen turned in impressive days, including Dominique Johnson who earned fifth place in the shot put with a distance of 12.35 meters, marking a career personal best for the Warrenton, Va. native.

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UP NEXT
The Dukes return to action on Friday, Jan. 15 when they travel to Lexington, Ky. For the Kentucky Invitational. The meet concludes on Saturday, Jan. 16 with the Kentucky Wildcats as hosts.