KENT, Ohio – The Bradley women's track & field team opened indoor competition at two separate venues Saturday – Kent State's Doug Raymond Invitational and Northern Iowa's Panther Open. Juniors Mary Goldkamp (Florissant, Mo./McCluer North H.S.) and Leann Murphy (Rochester, Ill./Rochester H.S.) each finished in the top-10 of the 1,000-meter finals at the Doug Raymond Invite, while freshman Nicole Benson (Peoria, Ill./Limestone H.S.) earned two top-five finishes at the Panther Open in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

After an outstanding cross country season last fall, Benson kicked off track competition with a fourth-place finish in the 800-meter (2:27.82) and a fifth-place finish in the mile (5:29.01). In addition to Benson, several other Braves turned in noteworthy performances at the Panther Open. Sophomore Michelle Hartman (Savanna, Ill./Prince of Peace H.S.) earned a top-10 finish in the 600-meter, placing ninth in 1:46.32.

The 800-meter featured three more Braves in the top-10, including sophomore Rachel Garrett (Peoria, Ill./Limestone H.S.) and seniors Amanda Switzer (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem H.S.) and Tracy Lotter (Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago H.S.). Garrett finished fifth in 2:32.19, followed by Switzer in ninth (2:36.30) and Lotter in 10th (2:38.74).

Senior Rachel Brubaker (Davis, Ill./Durand H.S.) earned her first top-10 finish of the season, placing ninth in the 1,000-meter with a time of 3:15.52. In the mile run, junior Lauren Fog (Harvard, Ill./Harvard H.S.) took third in 5:25.70, while Lotter was sixth with a time of 5:34.61. Sophomore Kourtnie Janson (Cambridge, Ill./Cambridge H.S.) finished sixth in the high jump, clearing a distance of 1.53 meters.

At the Doug Raymond Invite, Goldkamp earned fourth place in the 1,000-meter with a time of 2:59.52, while Murphy turned in a ninth-place finish at 3:05.41.