CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Runnin' Bulldogs posted 11 top-five finishes, as well as setting nine new personal records, throughout the two-day Charlotte Invitational at the Irwin Belk Track & Field Center, the home of the Charlotte 49ers, in Charlotte, N.C.
 
Natasha Akbarizadeh took home the women's hammer throw title, besting the field with a mark of 62.12 meters.  Petra Jakeljic placed fifth with a distance of 55.06 meters, Cailen Blare finished 11^th at 46.58 meters, and Taliyah Wade placed 19th at 37.90 meters.
 
Chase Thornhill won the men's 200-meter dash, clocking in at 21.74 seconds.  Carlos Williams finished ninth overall with a time of 22.30 seconds.  Tre Carson finished 18^th, timing in at 22.94 seconds, setting a new PR.
 
In the men's hammer throw, Kenny VanVorst brought home a second-place result with a toss of 54.61 meters, setting a new personal record that ranks seventh in program history.  Julian Smallwood placed 11^th with a mark of 40.27 meters, setting a new PR.
 
Patrick Sastre placed second overall in the men's 800-meter run, crossing the line with a personal-best time of 1:54.33, ranking fifth in program history.  Sam Hermanns finished 22^nd at 2:06.43, a new personal record.
 
Julian Smallwood finished second in the men's shot put with a distance of 16.04 meters.  Nate Wonsley IV finished seventh with a mark of 13.12 meters.
 
In the women's pole vault, Louise Schmidtgen finished third with a personal-best mark of 3.57 meters, ranking eighth on the GWU all-time list.
 
Austin Evans finished third in the men's triple jump with a mark of 13.60 meters.
 
The men's 4x100 meter relay team of Mason Marshall, Carlos Williams, Tre Carson, and Chase Thornhill finished third, clocking in at 41.89 seconds.
 
Taliyah Wade finished third in the women's shot put with a toss of 12.93 meters, setting a new PR with a mark that ranks eighth in GWU history.  Arleasia McGee finished 12^th with a distance of 11.45 meters.
 
In the men's 4x400-meter relay, the team of Carlos Williams, Patrick Sastre, Austin Buzzard, and Chase Thornhill finished fourth overall, timing in at 3:27.84.
 
The women's 4x100-meter relay team of Kira Ramsey, Hannah Sparacio, Maya Mallory, and Diviana Forrest finished sixth, timing in at 49.54 seconds.
 
In the women's 4x400-meter relay, the team of Amy Turlington, Diviana Forrest, Hannah Hannah Jones, and Kelsey Houser placed sixth with a time of 4:14.87.
 
Khalilah Conway finished eighth in the women's high jump with a mark of 1.54 meters.
 
Kenny VanVorst placed 11^th in the men's discus throw with a personal-best distance of 40.36 meters.  Julian Smallwood finished 14^th at 37.48 meters, a new PR.
 
In the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase, Ezekiel Martin clocked in at 10:39.44, placing 12^th.
 
Amy Turlington clocked in at 2:23.86 in the women's 800-meter run, finishing 14^th overall.  Hannah Jones finished 22^nd with a time of 2:30.72.
 
In the men's 5,000-meter run, Mitchell Brown timed in at 17:07.97 to finish 14^th.
 
Austin Evans placed 14^th in the men's 110-meter hurdles, crossing the line at 16.26 seconds.
 
Khalilah Conway finished 14^th in the women's 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:13.69.
 
Diviana Forrest finished 16^th in the women's 400-meter dash, timing in at 59.80 seconds.
 
In the men's 400-meter hurdles, Ezekiel Martin finished 16^th with a time of 58.56 seconds.  Austin Buzzard followed in 17^th at 58.90 seconds.
 
Taliyah Wade finished 16^th overall in the women's discus throw with a distance of 31.75 meters.
 
In the women's 1,500-meter run, Sanda Bolstad placed 16^th at 5:06.77, setting a new personal record.  Faith Parandhamaia finished 25^th at a personal-best time of 5:35.16.
 
Logan McGuirt finished 16^th in the women's 5,000-meter run, timing in at 21:32.47.  Courtney Kanetzke finished 18^th at 22:29.15.
 
In the men's 1,500-meter run, Bogdan Podgaisky placed 18^th with a time of 4:54.49.
 
In the women's 100-meter hurdles, Khalilah Conway finished 19^th with a time of 16.34 seconds.
 
Chris Tobin placed 21^st in the men's 100-meter dash, timing in at 11.98 seconds.  Mason Marshall followed in 22^nd at 12.04 seconds.
 
In the women's 100-meter dash, Maya Mallory placed 26^th overall, timing in at 13.57 seconds.
 
Hannah Sparacio finished 27^th in the women's 200-meter dash, clocking in at 26.87 seconds.  Kira Ramsey finished 35^th at 28.15 seconds, and Kelsey Houser placed 39^th at 29.39 seconds.
 
Gardner-Webb returns to action next weekend at the Duke Invitational, taking place April 19-20 in Durham, N.C.