The Amherst track & field teams were the only Div. III teams competing at the UMass Invitational this past Saturday, where the women placed eighth out of 11 teams and the men took seventh.

The women were led by senior, NESCAC Performer of the Week, Naomi Bates, who finished first in the 200m dash and third in the 100m. Bates was joined in the 100m by teammate Karen Blake ’17 who finished fourth.

“It was great to take advantage of the beautiful weather and run personal records,” Bates said. “We definitely held our own as the only Div. III school, and a lot of people had great individual performances.”

In the 5000m, sophomore Betsy Black led the way with a time of 18:42.51 for fifth place, and Jessie Kaliski ’15 and Lisa Walker ’15 finished sixth and ninth, respectively. In the field events, first-year Kiana Herold finished fourth overall in the high jump, leaping 1.61 meters, to set a school record. Taylor Summers ’16 finished ninth in the long jump with a distance of 5.12 meters.

On the men’s side, Khalil Flemming ’16 posted a pair of top-five finishes to lead the Jeffs, as the sophomore placed first in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump. Junior Greg Turissini clocked in with a time of 9:34.12 to pace first in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Dan Crowley ’16 followed with a time of 9:47.62, placing fourth.

In the 1500m, Romney Sklar ’15 led Amherst with a time of 4:00.28 for fourth place. Brent Harrison ’16 and Kevin Connors ’17 placed eighth and 15th in the 800-meter, respectively.

“I was very pleased with the teams efforts, and they really took advantage of a great day for competing,” said head coach Eric Nedeau. “Khalil Flemming had a great day in the jumps with a win in the triple and a PR on the long. The 800 was a great event for us with several outstanding marks; Greg Turissini grabbing a win in the steeple and the 4x100 relay looked super.”

This weekend, Amherst will host its first home track meet in nine years for the Little Three Championships.