Texas Lutheran Holds Slim Lead Over Trinity After Day One of the SCAC Women's Track & Field Championship

(All photos by Josh Moczygemba) 

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Texas Lutheran University holds a three-point lead, 71 to 68, over Trinity University after Friday's competition at the 2015 SCAC Women's Track & Field Championships which are being held on the campus of Trinity. Official Championships Website | Team Scores | Complete Results

TLU, the defending SCAC champions who won the American Southwest Conference title the last four years it was a member of that league, will go for the program's sixth consecutive conference title on Saturday.

Standing in the way of the Bulldogs is Trinity, and after Friday's first six events, the two squads have set the stage for what should be an epic two-team battle through Saturday's final team relay.

Southwestern University is in third with 25 points while Colorado College is fourth with 18 points. The University of Dallas is in fifth with one point.

Cori Picazo got the ball rolling for Texas Lutheran with a first-place finish in the pole vault - her second consecutive victory in the event. Her winning clearance this year was 10 feet, 4 1/4 inches. Trinity teammates Taylor Gloor (8 feet, 10 3/4 inches) and Savannah Seiler (7 feet, 11 1/2 inches) took second and third place respectively.

Trinity's Britney Sullivan earned first-place honors in the triple jump with a winning leap of 37 feet, four inches. Texas Lutheran teammates Marlena Hunt and Haleigh Garcia finished second and third with jumps of 36 feet, 2 inches and 35 feet, 9 1/2 inches, respectively.

In the shot put, Meredith Berger of Texas Lutheran took gold medal honors with a fling of 37 feet, 6 3/4 inches. Trinity's Faith Deckard was second with a toss of 35 feet, 4 inches while Southwestern's Kimi Prevost was third with an effort of 32 feet, 5 inches.

Southwestern's Maya Adighibe gave the Pirates the program's first-ever victory in the women's hammer with a toss of 112 feet, 1 inch. Texas Lutheran's Jessica Brown was second with a heave of 102 feet, 3 inches and Southwestern's Ellie Enis was third after a throw of 100 feet, 10 inches.

The evening session saw the teams take to the track for the 3,000 meter steeplechase and the 10,000 meters.

Trinity's Michelle Obendorf, after finishing in second in the 3,000 meter steeplechase a year ago, took top honors this year with a finishing time of 12:11.37. Her teammate Emma MacEachern was second in a time of 12:15.16 and Texas Lutheran's Stephanie Ernst was third in a time of 13:33.27.

In the 10,000 meter run, Colorado College teammates Rebecca Lavietes and Katie Sandfort stepped up with a 1-2 finish to close out the day's activities. Lavietes earned top honors with a finish of 39:34.23 to give the CC women's program its first-ever individual champion in its nine year history of SCAC track and field championship competition. The Tigers' Sandfort followed in 40:15.26. Genevieve Primeau of Trinity placed third in a time of 41:11.98.

SCAC Championship competition begins at 9 a.m. at Trinity with finals in women's discus and women's high jump. The final event for the women, the 4x400 relay, is set for a 2:05 p.m. start. For live results as they happen, click here.

For complete coverage of the 2015 SCAC Women's Track & Field Championships, click here.