KNOXVILLE, Tenn. / MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Oakland Track & Field team split competition across two meets this weekend, turning in a strong set of performances at the Tennessee Invitational, hosted by the University of Tennessee, and the Chippewa Challenge, hosted by Central Michigan University.

Tennessee Invitational (Apr. 10 & 11)

Oakland opened competition on Friday with a solid showing in the throws and sprints, highlighted by Elizabeth Rice's fourth-place finish in the women's hammer throw with a mark of 51.95 meters. Blake Foster added a seventh-place finish in the men's discus (47.84m), while Jamie Giese placed eighth in the women's discus (40.53m).

On the track, Lauren Goodman (24.68s) and Evan Bryan (22.05s) competed in the 200-meter dash, while Ja-Van Poole turned in a sixth-place finish in the men's 400-meter hurdles with a time of 53.33 seconds.

Saturday saw Oakland continue to build momentum with several podium finishes. Jamie Giese led the way with a third-place finish in the women's shot put (14.36m), while Kylei Anderson also earned bronze in the women's 100-meter hurdles, clocking in at 13.84 seconds.

Blake Foster competed in both the hammer throw (9th, 51.83m) and shot put (14.34m), while Elizabeth Rice added a mark of 11.33 meters in the women's shot put. Anderson also cleared 1.55 meters in the women's high jump.

In the sprints, Lauren Goodman posted a time of 12.09 seconds in the women's 100 meters, and Evan Bryan followed with a 10.64-second performance in the men's 100 meters.

Chippewa Challenge (Apr. 11)

A smaller group of Golden Grizzlies competed at the Chippewa Challenge, where Oakland found success in the pole vault.

Simon Griemert led the men with a second-place finish, clearing 4.12 meters. On the women's side, Genna Golab placed third (3.16m), while Allison Shelton followed with a fourth-place finish (3.01m).

The Golden Grizzlies return to the track in full force next week as they host the Elaine Leigh Invite on Apr. 17-18.