The Mustangs return home from this weekend in California with 11 new personal best times and six SMU Top-10 performances. Additionally, two Mustangs achieved season best marks in the jumps, which continues to move them up in the conference and national rankings. 

"The results and improvements speak for themselves," Head Coach A'Havahla Haynes said. "The women showed up and put up big marks atop the conference and closed in on NCAA First Round Qualification." 

Every distance athlete in the SMU squad that raced this weekend at the Bryan Clay Invitational posted a personal best time. In the 3,000-meter steeplechase to kick off the weekend, Nikoleta Rafailaki ran her best time of 10:47.02 as did Jessie Crowley with her time of 11:14.92. They sit at third and 10th in the conference currently, and Rafailaki's time put her on the SMU Top-10 Performances list sitting in ninth. 

The seventh and eighth best times run in the 10k in SMU history were ran by Maddie Hulcy and Kaitlyn Gearin this weekend. Hulcy ran 34:47.48, which has her at third in the conference standings, and Gearin ran 34:40.53 -- following Hulcy closely in fourth on the conference list. Alanis Robineau has the ninth fastest time in The American after her personal best time of 36:11.52 from this weekend. Lior Kremer also ran the best time of her career with 36:18.37. 

The personal bests continued in the 800 where Macey Hilton ran 2:09.15 -- placing her sixth in the conference standings and eighth fastest in SMU history. Leoni Mierswa also ran a personal best time of 2:11.69. In the 5k, Kendall Saeger ran aa 17:12.18, which is also her best time. Hilton and Mierswa went on to compete in the 1500 where they ran 4:31.99 and 4:33.60. Hilton sits in fourth place in the conference. 

Olivia Dobson finished the heptathlon in eighth after winning the shot put with a throw of 13.60 meters and producing a personal best mark in the long jump of 5.76 meters. She currently sits in third in the conference standings. 

The success didn't stop there but continued in Long Beach with the sprinters. Nea Sanders ran the sixth fastest time in SMU history in the 400-meter hurdles with her time of 1:00.78. Whitney Williams ran a time of 55.07 in the 400 – good for fifth among the competition – with Camryn McPhaul following in 10th with 56.34. The 4x400 relay made up of McPhaul, Williams, Sanders and Mackenzie Montandon ran a time of 3:49.44, which is their best this season and puts them at seventh in the conference standings. 

Jumpers also put up great marks this weekend with Raelyn Roberson placing third in the long jump with a 6.15-meter jump, and Hedda Kvalvag placing fourth in the triple jump with a 12.39-meter jump – both were season best marks for the athletes. Kvalvag's jump places her eighth on the SMU Top-10 list. 

"The exciting part of it all is that we are only mid-season, and these women are not done yet," Haynes said. 

SMU has 23 marks in the Top 10 rankings in the conference and will look to continue moving those marks up throughout the remainder of the season. They will compete next at the Texas Invitational in Austin on April 28th and 29th. 

FULL MUSTANG RESULTS 

AZUSA 

Steeplechase 

75 Nikoleta Rafailaki 10:47.02 (PR)  

113 Jessie Crowley 11:14.92 (PR) 

10k Invite Heat 1 

28 Kaitlyn Gearin 34:50.53 (PR)  

10k Invite Heat 2 

16 Maddie Hulcy 34:47.48 (PR)  

25 Alanis Robineau 36:11.52 (PR)  

10k Open 

24 Lior Kremer 36:18.37 (PR) 

800 Open 

16 Leoni Mierswa 2:11.69 (PR) 

800 Invite 

57 Macey Hilton 2:09.15 (PR)  

5k Open Heat 2 

20 Kendall Saeger 17:12.18 (PR) 

1500 Open A 

52 Macey Hilton 4:31.99 

72 Leoni Mierswa 4:33.60 

HEPTATHLON 

8 Olivia Dobson 5342 

100H: 14th 14.98 

High Jump: 8th 1.61m 

Shot Put: 1st 13.60m 

200: 12th 26.18 

Long Jump: 8th 5.76m (PR) 

Javelin: 7th 37.78m 

800: 10th 2:21.68 

LONG BEACH 

400 

5 Whitney Williams 55.07  

10 Camryn McPhaul 56.34 

800 

18 Mackenzie Montandon 2:19.90 

400mH 

10 Nea Sanders 1:00.78 (PR)  

200 

26 Camryn McPhaul 25.42 

4x400 

7 McPhaul, Williams, Sanders, Montandon 3:49.44 

Long Jump 

3 Raelyn Roberson 6.15m (SB) 

22 Maykayla Jackson 5.51m 

Triple Jump 

4 Hedda Kvalvag 12.39m (SB)  

6 Maykayla Jackson 12.24m