BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lafayette track and field team opened up their outdoor track season today at the Lehigh Opener.

On the men's side, the field events brought a ton of success for Lafayette. In the javelin, Lafayette had a huge performance, finishing first through third in the event. Leading the charge was junior Billy Prebola, with a huge winning toss of 59.95 meters. Prebola increased his personal best by over two-meters and now sits 10th all time in the event in school history.

Finishing behind Prebola in second was fellow junior Dylan Drescher with a best throw of 47.27 meters. Rounding out the top three was senior James Dailey with a mark of 44.60 meters.

Sophomore Fischer Biggs also had a great opening meet for Lafayette. In the discus, Biggs finished third overall with a best toss of 43.05 meters. He then later followed that up with another third place finish in the shot put, with a mark of 13.29 meters. 

Also finishing strong in the shot put was senior Andrew Swiniarski, with a best toss of 12.63 meters, good enough for fifth place overall.

The hammer throw was also another successful event, as sophomore Devin Rosmarin finished fourth overall with a top mark of 46.48 meters. Finishing just outside the top six was fellow sophomore Andrew Bowsher, finishing seventh overall with a best throw of 44.83 meters.

On the women's side, the success of the field events also continued. In the shot put, the Leopards finished second through fifth in the event. Leading the way was sophomore Grace O'Mara, finishing second with a mark of 11.83 meters. Behind O'Mara was senior Olivia Barney (3rd, 11.30 meters), sophomore Meredith McGee (4th, 11.09 meters) and freshman Bronwyn Mahoney (5th, 10.05 meters).

Barney's day however, was not finished yet. In the hammer toss, finished second overall, with a huge toss of 49.85 meters. This mark in the hammer throw is good for the seventh best in school history in the event and close to a four-meter personal best. She later returned to finish fourth overall with a best toss of 40.45 meters in the discus.

Senior Katie Ullmann also started the season off strong for the Leopards, finishing second overall in the high jump with a best mark of 1.55 meters.

Another second place finish came from sophomore Annie Hathaway in the pole vault with a top mark of 3.35 meters. This mark is good for the eighth best in school history in the event.

Freshman Sophia Dongaris also provided a big performance for Lafayette in her first collegiate outdoor track meet. In the triple jump, she placed fourth overall with a best mark of 10.99 meters. She later came back to also finish fifth in the long jump with a top distance of 4.95 meter.

The track events also brought some great performances in the first meet of the season. In the 1,500 meter race, senior Lizzie Harmon gave the Leopards a strong performance, finishing third in a final time of 4:49.49. Harmon's finish was also a new personal best for her in the event. A little less than seven seconds after Harmon was fellow senior Gabi Galletta, finishing fourth in a time of 4:56.37. Rounding out the top six finishers was another senior in Liv Palma, finishing sixth in a final time of 5:04.75.

Sophia Dongaris later came back, showing off her great versatility for Lafayette, finishing third overall in the 110 meter hurdle finals in a time of 15.81 seconds. 

Another freshman that had a strong opening meet was Lily Dineen in the 400 meter dash. Her time of 1:01.69 was good enough for fourth in the event.

The 800 meter run also brought some good finishes for Lafayette, as they took home third and fifth in the event. Leading the way was sophomore Katie Riley, finishing third in a final time of 2:21.83. A little less than three seconds behind her was fellow sophomore classmate Alex Avery, finishing fifth in a crossing time of 2:25.19.

Lafayette returns to action on March 27th with an upcoming home meet.