NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Gallaudet University women’s track and field team placed eighth overall Saturday at the 2011 Mason-Dixon Conference outdoor championships hosted by Christopher Newport University. Two Bison earned all-conference awards in the process during the two-day championships that started Friday evening.

Freshman Leslye Kang (Wayne, N.J.) crushed the school record in the javelin with a toss of 37.81 meters (124 feet) to win the event and give GU 10 team points. The previous program mark was 119 feet held by Heather Lightfoot set back on April 10, 1999. Kang earned all-conference honors due to her performance.

Gallaudet’s all-conference performer was sophomore thrower Jessica Israel (Frederick, Md.) who was second in the shot put with a toss of 11.37 meters (37 feet, 3.75 inches) to give the Bison eight points. Her toss was several inches shy of the school record of 37 feet, 10 inches. Israel was sixth in the javelin (26.92 meters) for one team point and 13th in the discus (25.80 meters). Freshman Victoria Rainey (Danvers, Ill.) had a good showing in three different throwing events as well including fifth in the discus (31.79 meters) which earned two team points, eighth in the javelin (20.58 meters) and shot put (9.12 meters).

The Bison also had a good showing by their 4x100 meter relay team consisting of senior Brittainy Payne (Pine Hill, N.J.), sophomore Maggie Hoyt (Edgecomb, Maine) and freshmen Stephanie Weiss (Wellington, Fla.) and Kang as they picked up a team point with their sixth place finish (56.82 seconds).

Methodist University won the women’s championship with 190 points as the host Captains from Christopher Newport was second (133 points) followed by Penn St.-Behrend (126 points). Gallaudet finished with 22 team points and was edged out by University of Mary Washington (24 points) for seventh place.

The Mason-Dixon Conference was founded in 1936 as a track and field only conference for schools from Maryland, Virginia and D.C. The original schools included American University, Baltimore University, Catholic University of America, University of Delaware, Gallaudet University, Johns Hopkins University, Randolph-Macon College, Washington (Md.) College and Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College).