IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine opened its 2016 home schedule in strong fashion by winning the Anteater 4-Way Saturday.
UCI won the competition with 69 ½ points as Long Beach State was second with 57 ½ and Army third with 32.
The Anteaters won seven individual events and both relays Saturday.
Freshman Barbara Coward won the discus throw with a mark of 168-9 for the No. 2 mark in UCI history. She also placed eighth in the hammer throw with an effort of 157-8, seventh-best in the Anteater record book.
Dazhana Bauer-Jackson broke her week-long school record in the hammer throw with a mark of 179-11 to finish third. Bridget Devaney finished fifth at 175-6, second-best in UCI history.
Kelly Magana placed first in the javelin throw (128-3) and Marisa McGinnis was third (123-5), while Danika Hitchcock won the triple jump at 37-1.
Michelle Norman won the 100 meters with a time of 12.16 and Kaulyn Lee-McNeill led a 1-2-3 UCI finish in the 800 meters with a time of 2:13.75 as Hallie Pullum placed second (2:15.58) and Lauren Hall was third (2:16.26).
Persis William-Mensah captured the 200 meters (24.48) with Norman finishing second (24.71) and Hope Bushnell third (25.93).
Rebecca Garcia led an Anteater sweep of the points in the 3,000 meters with a winning time of 10:31.02. Marisa Gonzalez placed second in 10:47.86 and Aliya Shah was third in 10:56.26.
UCI's 4x100 relay of Taisyn Crutchfield, Megan George, Brandy Coward and William-Mensah finished first in a school-record time of 45.76, eclipsing the previous mark of 45.98 that had stood for the past 23 years.
The 4x400 relay of Lee-McNeill, George, Crystal Lizaola and Simone Buchanan also was victorious with a time of 3:46.25.
Other top-three performances on the day for UCI included Charity Lyons finishing second in the long jump (17-10 ¾) with Crutchfield earning runner-up honors in the 400 meters (58.81).
Third-place showings included Lizaola in the 400 meters (58.90), Elizabeth Cotociu in the long jump (17-10 ¼), Alexandria Fenderson and Madelyn Sando in the high jump at 4-11, and Elizabeth Akindele in the shot put at 43-7 for the No. 5 mark in school history.
The Anteaters host the UCI Spring Break Invitational Friday and Saturday at Anteater Stadium.
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