RIVER FALLS, Wis. - The University of Northwestern Women's Track and Field team competed at the UW-River Falls Winter Invitational on Saturday afternoon, continuing to improve times across multiple events.

Freshman Alaina Wojtowski (Oshkosh, Wis./Valley Christian) continued to hit her stride in the sprints, delivering impressive performances in both the 60 meters and 200 meters. Wojtowski finished sixth in both events during the preliminary rounds. Her sixth-place finish in the 60-meter prelims qualified her for the final and marked a new personal best of 8.11, which is tied for first in the UMAC. In the 60-meter final, she placed second overall with her time of 8.18 seconds, her best finish of the season. In the 200 meters, Wojtowski is now ranked second in the UMAC after recording a season-best time of 27.85 seconds.

Joining Wojtowski in the 200 meters, Lidia Castro (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South) placed 12th with a new personal record of 29.24. Emily Neumann (St. Agusta, Minn./Sauk Rapids) also competed alongside Wojtowski in the 60 meters, finishing 18th with a time of 8.67 seconds. Neumann later raced in the 400 meters, crossing the line in 1:07.09 for a 14th-place finish.

Emery Maki (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) was the top Eagle finisher in the 800 meters, continuing her strong season with an 11th-place finish in a time of 2:26.91 in her lone event of the meet.

Jessica Redman (Beaver Dam, Wis./Beaver Dam) and Samary Acuna (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) raced stride-for-stride in the mile, each turning in career-best performances and finishing less than a second apart. Redman crossed first in 18th place with a time of 6:06.29, trimming a tenth of a second off her PR. Acuna followed closely in 20th with a time of 6:06.77, improving her personal best by .11 seconds.

The 3,000 meters featured four Northwestern runners, highlighted by a personal record from Alicia Arredondo (Robbinsdale, Minn./Homeschool). Caroline Stokes (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) led the Eagles with an 11th-place finish in 11:50.41. Cheyanne Scalese (Lancaster, Minn./Lancaster Public) and Arredondo followed closely in 12th and 13th with times of 11:59.37 and 12:00.34, respectively. Arredondo's mark was 26.5 seconds faster than her previous best. Natalie Van De Riet (Albertville, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) rounded out the lineup with a 16th-place finish in 13:18.32.

In the field events, Lily Hubbard (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) led the Eagles with a fourth-place finish in the high jump, clearing 1.45 meters (4' 9"). Katie Shilts (Cameron, Wis./Cameron) competed in the triple jump, recording her best mark on her final attempt with a distance of 9.88 meters (32' 5").

The meet concluded with a mixed 4x400 relay, featuring runners from both the men's and women's teams. Northwestern finished with a time of 4:11.19. Peter Kephart led off, handing the baton to Castro, followed by Samuel Otis, and Shilts anchoring the race.

Additional record-breaking performances included:

• Hubbard, personal records in the 60 meters (9.12) and 200 meters (31.44)
• Mariah Klippenes (South Haven, Minn./Annandale), season best in the 800 meters (2:38.47)

The Eagles will be back in action next week in Superior, Wisconsin, at the Mayday Classic on Valentine's Day.