DAVIS, Calif. --- The UC Irvine women's track and field team recorded the program's highest finish in 12 years at the Big West Conference Championships that concluded Saturday in Davis.

Coach Jeff Perkins' Anteaters totaled 83 points to place third behind UC Davis (194) and Cal State Northridge (183.33) in the meet at Toomey Field and Woody Wilson Track on the UC Davis campus.

This was UCI's best finish in the conference meet since placing third at the 2002 Big West Championships.

UCI junior Itos Aikhionbare won her second event of the meet Saturday, placing first in the shot put with a mark of 49-3 ½.   She won the discus on Friday.

"Last year it got away from me, so I was busting my butt to win the conference championship this year," Aikhionbare said.  "The key to today was finding something in the middle and listening to my coaches."

Junior Paige Bushnell finished second in the 400-meter hurdles in 60.25, the No. 7 time in Anteater history.  Bushnell placed sixth in the 100-meter hurdles Saturday with a time of 14.09.

Freshman Megan George was third in the 100-meter hurdles in a career-best 13.76, improving on her No. 3 time in the UCI record book.

Sophomore Kaulyn Lee-McNeill placed fourth in the 400-meter hurdles in 60.74 and senior Ericka Nowell was eighth in 67.35.

Sophomore Megan Benson finished seventh in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.00.

Junior Chelsea Schneider was seventh in the 1500 meters (4:35.02) and eighth in the 800 meters (2:20.55).

UCI's 4x100 relay of Melanie Speech, George, Charity Lyons and Benson finished fifth in 47.14. 

The 4x400 relay was also fifth with Saniya Syed, George, Lee-McNeill and Bushnell finishing with a time of 3:48.51.

Several UCI student-athletes are expected to compete in the NCAA West Preliminary Round at Fayetteville, Ark., May 29-31.

UCI's all-conference performers (top three in their event) at the 2014 Big West Championships:
Paige Bushnell, Ariel Cheng, Itos Aikhionbare, Lacey Surak and Megan George.

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