ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Freshman Nikki Garns earned first place in the 800 meters to lead Houghton at the Empire 8 Outdoor Track and Field Championship.

The women finished sixth out of seven teams with 28 points. The men did not earn a point and finished seventh.

Garns turned in a time of 2:18.22, which edged second place by just .13. The time was four seconds faster than her previous personal best. Teammate Joanna Friesen finished sixth in the race in 2:23.58 to also earn points for the Highlanders. Friesen continued her strong meet with a third place finish in the 1500 in 4:49.59, while Garns also earned sixth in the javelin with a throw of 27.39 meters.

Senior Andrea Melhorn continued her decorated career with a third place result in the hammer (46.27 meters).

For the men, Josiah Evans ran to eighth in the 110 meter hurdles (17.39), while Daniel Becker was eighth in the triple jump (1.75 meters) to get the top finishes for the Highlanders.

Middle distance runners Charles Easttey, Dan Schulz, Aaron Eisenhardt and Chaz Ormond each turned in personal bests in their respective races.

"It's hard to describe the connectedness and energy that our team experienced today. The amount of support that each member of the team showed towards those who were competing was inspiring," said Highlander Head Coach Patrick Hager. "We talked all season about performing our best at E8s and that held true today. About 75 percent of the people that competed today saw personal bests in their events. That kind of success proves that something special is going on. We have coached, athletes have responded, and the results speak for themselves." 

The Highlanders are back in action on Tuesday, April 21 at the Ithaca Midweek Invite.