West Long Branch, N.J.- After being snowed out a week ago at West Chester University, the Georgian Court University track & field squad finally toed the line outdoors, making its spring debut in the Monmouth University Season Opener.

Peter Collins earned GCU its first top-10 finish of the meet with a sixth-place effort in the hammer throw (52.52 m). 

The Lions enjoyed solid efforts in the 400 meter hurdles as Nicholas Claudio placed seventh in the men's draw with a time of 57.77 while Chanel Rogers took eighth overall in the women's race, finishing in 1:07.69.

Fresh off the women's basketball season, Damira Banks posted a stellar debut on the track with a third-place finish in the 100 meter hurdles (15.31 seconds). Teammates Jalen Hunter (15.95) and Phillip Zimmerman (16.12) placed sixth and seventh, respectively, in the men's 110 meter hurdles.

Banks again showed her stuff in the 100 meter dash, finishing fourth overall with a time of 12.93 seconds.

After a Rookie-of-the-Year cross country season and an eye-opening indoor campaign, Jessica Handsaker returned to action Saturday with an eighth-place finish (2:21.20) in the 800 meter run while Jhonathan Matamoros took fifth (1:57.52) in the men's race.

In not the warmest of conditions, Megan Kelly battled to a fifth-place finish (12:24.74) in the 3000 meter steeplechase.

Malawi Allen posted the Lions' initial first-place performance of the meet with a top high jump of 1.72 meters, which preceded a ninth-place performance from Sarah Zollner in the pole vault (2.85 meters).

East Coast Conference Female Field Athlete of the Year Octivia Booker picked up right where she left off indoors with a victory in the long jump (5.26 meters) while also snagging second in the triple jump (11.04 meters).

Rachel Marino, a two-sport (soccer) athlete like Banks, made her track & field debut in the javelin, finishing ninth with a throw of 35.81 meters.

Shelby Frink fell slightly short of victory in the shot put with a toss of 13.23 meters, just behind the winning throw of 13.43. Jordan Fagan soared to a fourth-place finish in the high jump at 1.95 meters.

Joseph Kaas, in his first discus competition of the season, flinged a fifth-place effort of 42.76 meters. Teammate Michael Brazzel, making his javelin debut for GCU, shined with a second-place launch of 58.21 meters.

Georgian Court next competes this Friday and Saturday in the Sam Howell Invitational, hosted by Princeton University.