PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Penn State Behrend women's track & field team opened up the outdoor season with a 13^th place finish at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational held on Friday and Saturday.

Key Moments:

* Behrend totalled 18 points to take 13th out of 15 teams competing at the invitational 
* The Lions got a first-place finish from freshman javelin thrower Julie Balaski (Mercer, PA/Mercer)
* Balaski, coming fresh off a basketball season, threw 38.10m to set a new school record in the event and finish first
* In the pole vault, Madison Kappeler (Cecil, PA/Canon-McMillan) placed fourth with a height of 3.10m and Noelani Takei (Fremont, CA/Irvington) was sixth overall (2.80m)
* Paige Massey (Erie, PA/McDowell) set a new personal record in the shot put with a throw of 10.78m for 11^th place
* Ivy Laffan (Waterford, PA/Fort LeBoeuf) competed in a pair of events, coming in 10^th in the 400m (1:01.96) and 14^th in the 200m (28.16)
*Olivia Nola (Erie, PA/Collegiate Academy) led the Lions in the 1500m with 13^th place in a time of 4:56.95

Next Up:

* Behrend returns to action on Saturday at the Slippery Rock Invitational.