ROCK HILL, SC -- University of Delaware freshman Cristine Marquez won the women’s 400 meter race with a school record time of 56.34 to highlight first day action at the ASICS/Winthrop Outdoor Track and Field Invitational Friday at Belk Track Complex.

Marquez was one of 14 Blue Hen women to post top 10 finishes while Delaware men had six top 20 finishes at the meet. The second and final day of the 16-school meet will continue Saturday morning. Members of the Blue Hen men’s and women’s track and field teams will also compete at the University of Maryland Invitational Saturday.

Marquez, who also set the UD indoor record in the 400 meters during the winter, was the lone Blue Hen champion on Friday as she shattered the previous Delaware standard of 57.04 set by Tyechia Smith in 2004. The Delaware men had just one top 10 finish as Brandon Swartout was ninth in the long jump with a distance of 6.38 meters.

Also for the Delaware women, Laura Chirico leaped a career best 3.35 meters to place second in the pole vault, Asha Quant was third in the long jump with a leap of 5.47 meters while also posting career bests in the 100 and 200 meter races as she placed fourth in the 200 meters (25.04) and fifth in the 100 meter preliminaries (12.35), Julia Somers was fourth in the 5,000 meters (18:43.70), and Amanda Marshall was fifth in the hammer with a career-best throw of 42.09 meters and also placed fifth in the shot put with a toss of 12.40 meters.

Rounding out top 10 finishes for the UD women were Liz Paul’s sixth place finish in the 5,000 meters (19:28.91), Stephanie Cronk was eighth in the hammer (39.41m), Alex Capsouras was ninth in the preliminaries of the 100 meter hurdles (15.03), Lindsay Schmiedel was ninth in the 5,000 meters (19:46.89), Sarah Vernon was 10th in the 5,000 meters (20:00.36), and Daniella Price was 10th in the preliminaries of the 100 meters (12.57).

Also for the Delaware men, Chris Johnson (at right) was 17th in the preliminaries of the 100 meters (11.32), Scott Vari was 18th in the 200 meters (23.22) and 19th in the 100 meters (11.38), Nick Morrissey was 19th in the 200 meters (23.31), and Chris Dixon was 20th in the 400 meters (50.76).

AGATE:

DELAWARE MEN’S FINISHERS: 9th Place - Brandon Swartout, long jump (6.38m); 17th Place - Chris Johnson, 100m (11.32/preliminaries); 18th Place - Scott Vari, 200m (23.22); 19th Place - Nick Morrissey, 200m (23.31); Scott Vari, 100m (11.38/preliminaries); 20th Place - Chris Dixon, 400m (50.76); 22nd Place - Jeree Turlington, 100m (11.51/preliminaries); 24th Place -M.J. Rawls, 100m (11.56/preliminaries), Alex Tingue, 200m (23.72); 25th Place - Nick Morrissey, 400m (52.08); 31st Place - Alex Tingue, 400m (53.15);

Day One Results