The Aurora University women's track and field team routed the competition on Friday at Millikin University, winning the Big Blue Invitational with 244 points. Spartan women set two school records, one conference record, and won four events.

Junior Emily Paull set a blistering early pace in the women's 3000 meter steeplechase before settling into a consistent rhythm of 88 seconds per lap. With 700 meters to go, Paull began kicking furiously; her last lap was an impressive 83 seconds. It all adds up to 10:50.75, a school and conference record and the #7 time in Division III. Paull has almost certainly punched her ticket to the national championship in late May.

Two other junior women won their races leading wire-to-wire. Soryia Sabir, continuing a revelatory outdoor season, ran 2:25.47 to take the 800. And CJ Houlis set a season best of 18:58.02 in winning the 5k. Houlis's time is the fourth fastest time in the NACC this spring.

Aurorans won both horizontal jumps, and nearly hit school records in the triple and high. Freshman Destinie Willis jumped 4.85 meters (15 feet, 11 inches) to win the long.  Sophomore Talia Sheedlo set an outdoor personal best of 10.72m (35-2) in the triple jump, just three centimeters short of the school and conference record held by Cait Hartman '11. And sophomore Jenna Taylor cleared 1.60m (5-3) to take third in the high jump. Her season best of 1.65m is tied for 14th on a crowded national leaderboard-- 26 women have jumped 1.65m or higher.

Sheedlo had to settle for just one school record on Friday. Her time of 16.03 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles set a new school standard and is the fastest in the NACC in 2014.

Junior co-captain Cara Hahne has set a new personal best nearly every meet this outdoor season, and Friday was no different. She threw the shot put 10.70m (35-1.25) for a new PB and the #6 mark on the NACC list.

All season, Spartan sprinters have dominated the NACC in the sprints. That's nothing new. But new season bests did come from sophomore Liz Canaday (60.22 in the 400, NACC #3) and junior Loretta Johnson (12.81 in the 100, #2 in the NACC). Johnson was part of a small group of athletes who competed at Concordia-Chicago on Thursday.

A small group of sprinters and middle distance runners will compete on Friday and Saturday at the Drake Relays, one of the biggest track meets in the United States. The rest of the squad will do their final tuneup before the conference championship on Friday at the Benedictine Twilight meet.