MORRIS, Minn. – For the Yellowjacket women's track and field team, Saturday needed to be a big day if it was going to defend its Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) outdoor championship.
 
Friday, the 'Jackets finished the day with 56 points, putting them in third place overall, but still within striking distance of the teams atop the leaderboard. UW-Superior trailed first place Crown by eight points and were seven points behind second place Northwestern.
 
The Yellowjackets had a strong day Saturday, and got the surge that they needed, but in the end, they came up just a bit short of defending their title.
 
Saturday saw the Yellowjackets accumulate 79 points, which was most in the UMAC, but in the end Crown was able to hold them off. The Yellowjackets finished the weekend with 135 points, putting them just seven behind the Polars, who claimed the conference title.
 
Simone Stephens (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) had a strong day Saturday, adding another UMAC championship to her career resume. Stephens won the 1,500-meter run, coming in with a time of 4:45.13. The time not only established a new personal record for Stephens, but also set a new school record. The previous mark was held by Katee Rosburg, who set the mark in 2008 with a time of 4:47.40.
 
Meet Notes

• Staying with the 5,000 meters, Halle Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior) placed fifth with a time of 4:54.15, setting a new personal record. Tea Boerner (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) and Cora Hudella (North Branch, Minn./North Branch) also set new personal records in the event.
• Stephens was the runner-up in the 5,000 meters, coming in with a time of 19:14.04.
• The Yellowjackets occupied four of the top five spots in the 5,000. Behind Stephens were Barker (19:27.24 – third), Boerner (19:42.56 – fourth) and Hudella (19:50.83 – fifth).
• Aylie Dahl (Beaumont, Alberta/John Maland) earned a top five finish in the 100-meter dash, finishing fifth with a time of 13.59 seconds.
• Moving to the field events Kory Windish (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake) set a personal record in the discus, placing fifth with a mark of 34.47 meters, a new personal record.
• Bel Dimaze (Monticello, Minn./Spectrum) was the runner up in the high jump, setting a new personal record by clearing the bar at a height of 1.52 meters.
• Sidney Bader (Milltown, Wis./Unity) placed fifth in the shot put with a heave of 11.06 meters.
• Myla Volk (Wabeno, Wis./Wabeno) came in third in the triple jump, reaching a mark of 10.37 meters.
• The Yellowjackets had a pair of top-five finishes in the relays Saturday, with the 4-x-100-meter team placing third and the 4-x-400-meter relay placing fifth. Both teams registered season best times.
• The 4-x-100 team, made up of Dimaze, Summer Hesseldahl (International Falls, Minn./Falls), Dahl and Cora Schmitz (Luck, Wis./Unity) came in with a time of 52.08 seconds.
• In the 4-x-400, Melissa Hoff (Holmen, Wis./Holmen), Scarlett Vanderscheuren (Saginaw, Minn./South Ridge), Kaylea Putnam and Taylor DeCook (Arlington Heights, Ill./Prospect) finished in 4:24.86.
• Bader's mark in the javelin Friday also set a new school record. Her mark of 36.25 meters eclipsed her previous school record of 36.07 meters set earlier this year.
• In total, the Yellowjackets had 12 personal records and four season bests this weekend.

The Yellowjackets will return to action when they compete at the Eagle Open, hosted by UW-La Crosse. The first events are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Sports Complex.