LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Fresh off the holiday break, the Eastern Kentucky track & field teams were back in action on Friday at the Bellarmine Open taking on 11 different schools from around the region.

Freshman Lariah Wooden picked up where she left off at the Commonwealth Classic in the women's shot put. Wooden tossed a distance of 44'-4.25" (13.52m) on her second attempt to secure the gold medal - the first of her collegiate career. Not only did Wooden grab first-place, but she put her name on the all-time leaderboards for a second time in as many appearances. The winning throw comes in at third-furthest in program history, trailing only Angie Barker's 1986 record and Wooden's own throw of 45'-4.25" (13.82m) in second place set just last month.

On the track, Khadija Ennasri secured her first gold medal of the season as well in the women's mile. Ennasri turned in a time of 5:01.09 to clinch the top spot, edging out second and third by less than sixth-tenths of second. Karin Gosek also brought home fourth-place in the event and Lucy Thornton finished seventh with times of 5:03.98 and 5:08.39 respectively. 

The women's 4x400m relay team brought home the squad's third gold medal of the day. The team of Irene Rubio Miralles, Bryce Alan Thornsbury, Roxy Place and T'ya Suber combined for a time of 4:04.32, over two seconds faster than second-place.

Other notable performances for the Colonels include a third-place finish by Mallory Hodge in the women's 60m with a time of 7.82. Aidan Herman secured a bronze medal in the men's 1000m with a 2:29.17. Matthew See notched his third medal of the season with a toss of 49'-2.25" (14.99m) to grab bronze in the men's shot put, and Senda Garma also secured a bronze in the women's weight throw with a distance of 52'-9.5"(16.09m).

UP NEXT

The Colonels will make their third trek of the year to the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center on Jan. 24 for the Bellarmine Classic. The squad will also send a contingent up the New York City on Jan. 25 to compete in the Dr. Sander Invitational hosted by Columbia University. 

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