TUCSON, Ariz. – The women's 4x400m relay team came in determined to break a 17 year old Lumberjack record and succeed in accomplishing that goal as the Northern Arizona University track and field team turned the page on the 2016 Jim Click Shootout Saturday afternoon.

The relay squad—composed of Jasmine Malone, Ashley Taylor, Clarissa Maxey and Nicole Fotinos—edged the previous school-best mark by less than a half a second and recorded a third-place finish at the meet with a 3:43.49 time. Currently, that ranks No. 1 in the Big Sky Conference.

The sprints unit also saw James Fisher get over the hump and hit a sub-21 second time in the men's 200m event. The defending Big Sky outdoor champ in the 200m, Fisher ran a personal record 20.82 on the track today that ranks No. 1 overall in the conference and 19th nationally.

"I was extremely impressed with our women's 4x400m relay team," said Associate Head Coach Kenny McDaniel. "These girls have been trying and fighting to get that school record probably for year and a half now. For all those girls to come together at the same time today, that's what being consistent and determined is all about."

"For Fisher, we set a goal for him last summer to hit a 20.8 time this season," said McDaniel. "We knew he could run a 20.8, and we looked at this meet for him to run that time. We trained all year for this and tried to set him up to be one of the top 200m athletes in the country. We've been planning for this day for about six months, and it was like déjà vu for both him and myself. Today was just a perfect day for him."

Not to be outdone on Saturday was senior Adam Keenan, who continues to re-write the record books each and every time he competes in the hammer throw. The Canadian native didn't have his best day inside the circle but still earned a first-place victory, slinging a 218-0.00 (66.45m) throw on his fifth attempt of the day. His performance Saturday ranks as the fourth-best in NAU history and sixth-best on the all-time conference list, meaning Keenan now holds three of the top four marks in school history—No.1, 2 and 4—and three of the top six marks in conference history—No. 1, No. 3 and No.6.   

Jessica Weise continues to improve from week to week in the women's shot put, logging a season best in today's event with a 48-4.50 (14.74m) mark. Weise now sits atop the conference rankings in the women's shot put, while her teammate Tiana Hatler-Stefick threw a career best in the hammer throw—182-0.00 (55.48m)—to lead things off this morning. With her performance, Hatler-Stefick qualified for outdoor conference in the hammer and now ranks fifth in the Big Sky.

"[Keenan] still has a lot of room to improve," said Assistant Coach Nathan Ott. "Even though he didn't have a great day, Keenan is still good enough to crush every one he competes against, but he still has some things to work on. For him, we're looking at that 230 mark and beyond, and we believe it's doable for him."

"For [Weise], it's kind of the same thing," said Ott. "Physically, she's not quite there yet but her form is developing each week and she's remaining more poised too; she's really stepped it up for us this season so far."

The distance highlights of the day came from the men's and women's 1500m races, where Kylie Goo—after redshirting the indoor season—made her first appearance as a Lumberjack in 2016. Goo earned an auto-bid to conference championships in May with a first-place victory (4:29.55) and PR in the 1500m. For the men, Futsum Zienasellassie (3:46.90q), Andy Trouard (3:47.85q - PR) and Nathan Weitz (3:51.77) finished second, third and fifth, respectively, in the men's edition 1500m.

"[Goo] came out today and really looked like herself," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Eric Heins. "Redshirting her this indoor season was done so she could prepare for the outdoor season and compete like she did today. She really looked like her old self and that was great to see."

It's a quick turnaround for NAU, as the team heads to Walnut, Calif., to compete in the Mt. Sac Relays hosted by Mt. San Antonio College April 14-16. The Lumberjacks will also send some athletes to Azusa, Calif., to take part in the Bryan Clay Invitational scheduled for Friday, April 15. 

Shootout Side Notes

 Micael Ljungberg will head with the track and field team to Greely, Colo., next month for conference after nabbing an auto-bid in the discus throw day with a career-best mark of 54.89 (ranked second in Big Sky) … Ashley Taylor recorded a season-best time in the highly competitive and anticipated 400m women's hurdle event, finishing with at 59.56 time (No. 2 in conference) … Kyle Brandt notched a PR today as well, with his coming in the men's javelin throw event at 169-10.00 (51.76m) … Sean Gregg added to the list of Lumberjacks with an individual victory Saturday, with  his coming in the 3000m steeple chase