The gun shot went off to start the 4×400-meter relay.

Freshman Caitlin Finnegan said she knew that all she had to do was stay close to the top.

“I knew that the Rend Lake girl was fast and I just tried to stay with her and not let us fall behind,” Finnegan said. “It’s not just me in the race. I have to keep us in good position for the other three girls too.”

Finnegan finished her leg of the race in 60.17 seconds.

Finnegan stayed close enough to the Rend Lake starter that when the second runner, sophomore Tarra Grant, came out she was able to pass her right away.

Eastern stayed in the front for the rest of the race and won in a time of 3 minutes, 59.01 seconds.

Head coach Tom Akers said he was very pleased with the relay because they finished in under four minutes with very little competition pushing them.

“We thought it was big when we did over in Indiana and now to do it on our home track without any competition shows that we are ready to bust a good 4×400 next weekend,” Akers said.

Women’s head coach Mary Wallace said she was impressed with how Finnegan along with freshman Chandra Golden both got season bests in the 60-meter hurdles.

Golden won the race in 8.88 seconds.

“I got a good start and from the start I knew that the race was on and I was kind of excited to be so far ahead because I haven’t been doing very well lately,” Golden said.

Sophomore Shawana Smith placed first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.48 seconds and fourth in the 60-meter dash in a time of 7.79 seconds.

“I was really looking for a 24.9 (in the 200) but in my heat there was nobody in front of me to make me work hard,” Smith said. “I was in front the whole time so I didn’t push myself as much as I could have.”

Freshman Erin O’Grady won the 800-meter race in a time of 2:20.83.

Distance coach Geoff Masanet said that she did run well but he knew she wanted to finish under 2:20 and may have been able to do so if she had run a little more tactically.

O’Grady said she also noticed some small things that she could have done better in order to cut off a second or two.

“The girl in front of me slowed down around the curb and I was planning on passing her on the straight away but when she slowed down it messed with my stride,” O’Grady said.

“So I was stuck on the inside with nowhere to go and I had to jog in back of her for a good three steps.”

In the field events sophomore Nicole Walcott placed first in the high jump with a jump of 5’02.50.”

Freshman Kandace Arnold placed fourth in the weight throw and third in the shot put.

Jumpers Jenna Uhe (sophomore) and Nicole Marczewski (senior) placed third and fourth respectively in the triple jump.

Senior Nicolene Galas, sophomore Tricia Gaumer and freshman Anci Borozan all had season bests in the pole vault with Galas and Gaumer jumping 11’02.50.”

“Overall it was a good day,” Wallace said. “The expectation for today was to come out and compete hard but also to get a little bit of rest going into next weekend. I think we stayed strong and we are going to look pretty good going into conference.”