The Miami University Women’s Track and Field team closed its indoor track season in Ypsilanti, Mich. Friday and Saturday while competing in the Mid-American Conference Championships.

The ’Hawks placed eighth out of 12 teams, scoring 35.5 points. Kent State University ran away with the meet, scoring 175 points. The closest team to Kent State was the host, Eastern Michigan University, with 94 points.

“The team definitely views this as more of a step into the outdoor season,” redshirt senior Samantha Gable said. “I was not satisfied with eighth, we hope to do better in outdoor than we did in indoor.”

Head Coach Kelly Phillips shared the same dissatisfaction.

“Even [when] we are bad we don’t expect eighth place,” Phillips said. “We view fourth place as bad, it is what it is.”

One of the athletes scoring for the RedHawks was senior Layne Baggett, who finished fourth in the 60 meter hurdles. Baggett had a time of 8.5 seconds.

Phillips said that the ’Hawks were missing some recent graduates.

“We need to develop the kids,” Phillips said. “We graduated a lot of points last year.”

Redshirt seniors Alexandra Roberts and Gable finished fourth and eighth respectively in the shot put.

Sophomore Taylor Wickware scored for the Red and White as she finished seventh in the 800m run with a time of 2:16.

Breaking a personal record in the mile run was freshman Laura Bess. Bess ran the mile in 4:54 and finished eighth.

Miami’s 4x400 relay team finished fifth, as the team of sophomores Gretchen Walter and Charlotte Myers and freshmen Kala Allen and Kathie Wolney ran a time of 3:51.76.

Miami entered Saturday in sixth place, scoring 21.5 points on the first day of the meet.

The women’s track and field team does not begin its outdoor track season until the weekend of March 15. The men’s team will begin its 2013 outdoor campaign one week later.

“We’re more of a top-4 team in the MAC for outdoor track,” Phillips said. “There are more events that will help us earn more points.”

Phillips said that the addition of more distance events should help the RedHawks score higher at meets.

Gable does not think the ’Hawks eighth place finish is the best indicator of the teams standing in the MAC.

“As of right now it is hard to say where we stand [in the MAC],” Gable said. “We will enter the outdoor season with a vengeance to perform better.”

Phillips shares a similar view as Gable and hopes that as the athletes gain experience the RedHawks will perform at a higher level and in turn they will earn more points.

“We’re officially in outdoor season,” Phillips said. “Hopefully the eight place finish was a one-time only misery.”