The women’s track and field team returned Sunday after a strong start to the outdoor season at the Snowbird Invite at Florida State over spring break.

“We got a lot of good training in, and all in all, we had a very good week,” head coach John Craft said.

The team practiced at a high school in Panama City before competing in the Snowbird Invite at Florida State.

“The team definitely had a chance to bond and they got along very well,” Craft said. “The high school track in Panama City had plenty left to be desired – the hard surface was difficult on the legs, but we still got some quality training in and it showed in their performances.”

Senior Beth Martin finished second in the steeplechase with a time of 11:37.85 while teammate Krissy Peters finished fifth in 12:22.27 and Amber Mock finished 12th in 13:03.20.

In another distance event, Stephanie Bone finished seventh in the 1500-meter run with a time of 4:52.32. Angie Simone competed in her first outdoor 5,000-meter run with a time of 18:36.91.

Sprinter Alicia Harris finished fifth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.01. Harris also competed in the fourth-place 1600-meter relay (3:57.20) with teammates Elaine Hayes, Nicole Milici and Jenny Cowan.

Milici also ran the 800-meter run in a time of 2:19.08.

Thrower Tiffany Greenley finished fifth in the hammer throw with a personal record of 158 feet, 7 inches.

“There was good competition and all the events were solid,” Craft said. “There were well over 20 teams there, which was still smaller than they anticipated, but that’s expected.”

Now the team will prepare for the SIU Collegiate Series this weekend in Carbondale.

“Overall, it was a very good trip for us, and how we’re hoping to get a good week in,” Craft said.

“At least we can train now that there are lines on the track.”

Lane lines were painted on the newly resurfaced track over the break, allowing the teams to finally move practice outdoors and get acclimated to the weather conditions and wind changes in competition.