CHARLOTTE --- Natasha Akbarizadeh (Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada) placed third in the hammer throw, and four Runnin' Bulldogs set new personal records in the 1,500-meter run to pace the Gardner-Webb track & field team on Friday at the Charlotte 49er Invitational.

Akbarizadeh paced the Runnin' Bulldogs with a strong performance in the hammer throw, placing third with a mark of 56.41 meters - less than a meter shy of her PR. Claire Cates (Hillsborough, N.C.) turned in GWU's second top-five showing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, nearly besting her previous personal mark with a time of 11:40.99.

Freshman Lauren Kilpatrick (Jacksonville, Fla.) set a personal record in the 1,500-meter run for the second consecutive meet, crossing the line in 5:35.15 to shave more than two seconds off her PR. Merideth Byl (Tucson, Ariz.) and Ashleigh Cleveland (Raleigh, N.C.) each set a personal record in the javelin throw with marks of 35.76 and 25.31 meters, respectively, en route to a pair of top-10 performances.

Josh Parks (Forest City, N.C.), Christopher Lile (Waynesville, N.C.) and Ezekiel Martin (Goldsboro, N.C.) each established a new PR in the 1,500-meter run with marks of 4:04.98, 4:09.85 and 4:33.17, respectively. Matthew Cook (Connelly Springs, N.C.) came up just short of another personal best in the event with a time of 4:36.87.

Gardner-Webb will wrap up the weekend at the Charlotte 49er Invitational on Saturday at the Irwin Belk Track and Field Center.