MANSFIELD, Conn. -- The Bridgewater State University women's outdoor track & field team captured the meet title at the 8th Annual ECSU Invitational on Friday.

The Bears recorded a team score of 229 points to outdistance host and runner-up Eastern Connecticut State University (172 pts.).

Bridgewater placed first in eight events led by sophomore Sydney Bennett (North Attleboro, Mass.). Bennett broke a 17-year old school record in the shot put and placed first in the event at the meet as she posted a mark of 42 feet, four inches (12.90 meters). Bennett, who currently ranks 30th in all of Division III in the shot put, eclipsed Amanda Hackett's previous BSU mark of 42 feet set in 1998.

Sophomore Samantha Richner (Hanson, Mass.) captured top honors in the both the high jump (5'2.25"/1.58m) and the 100-meter hurdles (15.78).

Senior Krysta Zbikowksi (Ashburnham, Mass.) and juniors Theresa Connolly (North Andover, Mass.), Juliana Keene (Norton, Mass.) and Ariele Krevosky (Oxford, Mass.) rounded out the Bears' individual event winners. Zbikowski was the first to cross the finish line in the 3,000-meter run (10:59.79), while Connolly, Keene and Krevosky placed first in the 800-meter run (2:25.02), javelin (113'7"/34.62m) and pole vault (7'0.50"/2.15m), respectively.

BSU's 4x400-meter relay squad featuring senior Ashley Aldred (Saugus, Mass.) and sophomores Amanda Lane (Abington, Mass.), Traci Perry (Middleboro, Mass.) and Sabrina Rizzo (Peabody, Mass.) recorded a first-place time of 4:09.96.

Next weekend, the Bears travel to Fitchburg State University for the MASCAC/New England Alliance Championships.