NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech athletes opened the 2012 outdoor track and field season this weekend at the Vanderbilt Black and Gold with eight personal bests against a strong field of competition. 

The meet was held Friday and Saturday at Vanderbilt Track in Nashville. 

Lacy Yslas, a junior thrower from Sparta, Tenn., posted one of the Golden Eagles' strongest performances of the day relative to the competition, placing 11th out of 27 competitors in the discus throw with a distance of 126 feet, 6 inches. 

Tech runners set eight personal records, nearly all of which came in the mid-distance and distance events, with three apiece in the 800 meter and 3000 meter. 

Leah Bradley, a senior from McDonough, Ga., set two new career bests in the 800 meter and 1500 meter, posting times of 2:27.14 and 5:01.26, respectively. Her time in the 1500 meter shattered her previous outdoor personal best by more than 10 seconds. 

Also setting personal bests in the 800 meter were Kara Webb, who posted a time of 2:28.30, and Kendale Caldwell, who clocked in at 2:34.76. Jenna Philpott provided Tech's lone personal-best in a sprint event, posting a time of 1:02.03 in the 400 meter. 

Three Tech runners set new career-bests in the 3,000 meter, led by Rebecca Cline, whose time of 10:49.98 bested her previous outdoor best by more than 10 seconds. Meghan O'Donoghue [in photo above] (11:26.24) and Brittney Brown (11:33.79) were also career-bests in the 3,000 meter. 

Brooklyn Kimball led Tech in the 400 meter with a time of 1:00.33 while Emily Weinzetl paced a bevy of Golden Eagles in the 800, clocking in at 2:25.94.

Tech returns to action at the APSU Invitational on April 7 in Clarksville, Tenn.