The UW-La Crosse Men and Women Track and Field Team opened its 2016 outdoor season hosting the fourth annual Ashton May Invitational Saturday. The meet is named after former Eagle runner and coach Ashton May who passed away September 17, 2012 in a car accident. May was a four-year letter winner for the Eagles, she earned ten NCAA Division III All-America awards, including second-place finishes in the long jump and triple jump at the 2010 outdoor championships. She earned her elementary education degree from UW-L and after graduation joined the Eagles coaching staff. She also became a math and social studies teacher at Holmen Middle School. This was the fourth straight year UW-L hosted an invite in her memory and for the fourth straight year the women captured the team title finishing first out of sixteen teams with a score of 198.5 points.

UW-L won six individual titles on Saturday led by senior Meg Heafy, who swept the 100 (12.03) and 200 (25.40) meter dashes. This was the second straight year that the Reedsville native swept both events and the third straight year she took home the 100-meter dash title.

Other winners for UW-L included junior Mallory Hall who won the 400-meter hurdles (1:03.74), Hall also won this event in 2014. Sophomore Valerie Jones took home the 800-meter crown (2:23.53). In the field events, senior Meghan Howell captured the pole vault title (12-1 ½), it was the third time that Howell captured the pole vault at the Ashton May invite, the senior won the event in 2013 and 2015. Junior Autumn Miller won the shot put (43-6).

Other top finishers for the Lady Eagles were senior Claire Gordee, who recorded a pair of second place finishes in the 200-meter dash (25.76) and 100-meter hurdles (14.92), sophomore Whitney Ebert, who finished second (12:10.67) in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and freshman Tore Washa, who finished third (26.10) in the 200-meter dash.

The men’s team finished second out of fifteen teams with a score of 98.0 points, Augustana College (Ill.) captured the team title with 136.5. This was the second time in four years that the Eagles took second at the May invite they had won it the past two years.

The Eagles did not have a single individual winner on Saturday but did finish with four individual second places on Saturday, including senior Luke Sauerman in the 110-meter hurdles (14.58), junior Joe Smith in the 200-meter dash (22.07), senior Matthew Eidenschink in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:26.28) and sophomore Nathan Berg in the hammer throw (185-1).

Other top finishers on the track for the Eagles men included senior Ben Jordan who finished third in the 200-meter dash (22.33) while senior Daniel Otto was fourth in the 110-meter hurdles (14.92).

The UW-L Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Team will return to action next Friday, April 15 at the UW-Platteville Invitational.