UTICA, N.Y. – With 173 total team points scored, the St. John Fisher College women's track & field team earned its well-deserved third-straight Empire 8 Indoor Track & Field Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon at the Todd & Jen Hutton Sports and Recreation Center on the campus of Utica University. The Cardinals' point total was enough for a 20.5-point victory over the next closest competitor, Nazareth.
 
The sprinters got the day started with standout performances in both the 60-meter hurdles and the 60-meter dash.
 
In the hurdles, top qualifier Ciarra Franz showed her prowess as she finished the race in 9.08 seconds to win the individual title, qualify for the All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference (AARTFC) Championship, set a new personal and Fisher program record in the race, and tie the standing facility record. The freshman's time was the best Cardinals' finish since Tayler Dence in 2018 (9.17 seconds) and the facility's best since 2017. She was joined on podium by McKenna Cone and Milan Simmons, who earned third and sixth places, respectively.
 
As for the dash, Samantha Shea stepped onto the track to break her own personal best time in the race and earn third place by clocking 7.95 seconds – a time that was just five hundredths of a second shy of the program record in the event. Additionally, Franz grabbed fourth place by finishing in a personal-best 8.04 seconds, while Maria Covelli placed fifth – just one hundredth of a second shy of a trip to regionals at a PR of 8.11 seconds.
 
Shea then teamed up with Gracie Wright in the day's 200-meter dash to go 2-3, as the senior transfer set a career best time of 26.01 seconds and the freshman clocked a PR of 26.10 seconds. To cap the sprints, the two met up with Emma Wright and Breanna Lambert in the day's closing event – the 4x400-meter relay. The team took the individual medal in the relay by crossing the finish line in 4:04.03 and set a meet record, last achieved in 2019.
 
As for the distance events, Riley Corey doubled down to set a new program record and 13-second personal best time in the 3,000-meter run. Her time of 10:34.00 broke her own program record, last set in 2019, and qualified her for the AARTFC Championship for the event. She was joined by Laura Witt on the podium, who came in third place and set a new PR time of 10:42.53. Taylor Highers also rounded off her Empire 8 meet with a fourth-place finish in the 800-meter run at a final time of 2:26.55.
 
For the field events of the day, Jordan Lehman, Elizabeth Izydorczak, and Makenna King went 2-4-6 in the weight throw to paint the podium Cardinal and Gold. Lehman took second at 15.01 meters, while Izydorczak took fourth and set a career best toss at 13.88 meters, while King grabbed sixth place at a PR mark of 12.80 meters. To wrap up the podium finishers, Cone made the podium in the triple jump, as her mark of 10.30 meters which she achieved on her second attempt of the day, was good enough for sixth place.
 
The Cardinals will now prepare for next Friday and Saturday's All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference (AARTFC) Championship which will take place at the Golisano Training Center on the campus of Nazareth College.