Champaign, Ill. – Senior Josie Hahn and freshman Julie Eckerly captured individual victories Saturday at the Central Collegiate Championships staged at the University of Illinois.

Hahn earned a pair of first place finishes, accumulating 3,730 points to capture the pentathlon competition, then clearing 5’6″ to win the individual high jump.

Eckerly continued her solid distance running during the early stages of the indoor season.  The freshman earned her first collegiate individual victory, winning the 5,000 meters over sophomore teammate Shannon Capps.

The Commodores used the efforts of Hahn and Eckerly to finish third in the team competition.  The host Fightin’ Illini captured the team title.

Hahn easily captured her specialties.  An All-American in the pentathlon last winter, Hahn posted the top individual performances in the high jump, shot put and 800-meter run en route to a 200-point margin over her nearest rival in the pentathlon.  Despite the victory, Hahn’s 3,730-point accumulation was well below her 4,064-point school record established last year.

In the individual high jump, Hahn comfortably won the competition, though she didn’t approach her existing indoor team record of 6’0″.  Hahn was the only jumper in the competition to clear 5’6″.

Eckerly achieved her second indoor personal best in as many races with a solid performance in the 5,000.  Ecklerly and teammate Shannon Capps took control in the early stages of the race, and continued to complete a 1-2 finish with times of 17:57.14 and 18:05.34, respectively.  Capps’ performance also marked an indoor personal best at the distance.

A pair of newcomers, sprinter Andrea Rosemond and middle distance runner Lauren Fortson, continued to show promise.  Rosemond finished seventh in the 60-meter dash and eighth in the 200 in 7.87 and 25.85, respectively. Forton ran fourth in the 600-meter run with a 1:38.62 effort.  Junior Latisha Bryant finished just behind Fortson, running 1:40.48.

In other action, junior Brittany Sizer set a personal best in the 3,000, running 10:22.41 to claim fifth place.  Junior Amanda Mullins-Hall also earned fifth overall in the 60-meter hurdles, running 8.86. Junior Alisa Cotter ran 2:22.92, good for seventh place in the 800-meter run.  Senior pole vaulter Paige Roberts and sophomore shot putter Kasi Foster finished fourth and eighth in their respective events.  The Commodores’ distance medley relay foursome also finished third overall.