ATLANTA-- Georgia State women's track & field opened its season with two first place finishes and eight top five finshes at the the UAB Blazer Invitational meet on Friday afternoon.

Sessen Mahari claimed the top mark in the 800-meter run with a 2:37.71 time, and Zayna Fray clinched the winning weighted throw at 19.32 meters. 
 
The Lady Panthers also claimed a second place spot in the 800-meter with a 2:38.65 finish from Zariah Jacobs. Maya Anderson started her year off with a second-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles after running a time of 8.46.

Laila Reeves earned a third-place finish in the weighted throws after reaching a mark of 15.44 meters.  Jayla Kennedy placed herself on the podium with a third-place finish in the 60-meter with a time of 7.46.
 
Georgia State Rounded out the top five with fourth and fifth place finishes in the 400-meter with Janiyah Alibey and Mia Brown running times of 1:00.22 and 1:00.52 respectively.
 
The Panthers secured another fourth and fifth place finish with Kevell Byrd and Alonna Depalma running times of 39.72 and 39.83 in the 300-meter.
 
The 4 x 400 relay team of Alonna Depolma, Mia Brown, Kyla Ramey, and Nova Rhodes accumulated one last top five finish for the Panthers Friday after placing fifth in the event with a time of 4:00.83
 
 
Notes:
-Georgia State's 4 x 400 relay A team composed of Tasheika Thompson, Janiyah Alibey, Destinee Frink, and Gabrielle Key finished seventh in the event with a time of 4:07.18
-Kyla Ramey finished seventh in the 500-meter with a time of 1:22.47
-Destinee Frink finished seventh in the mile with a time of 5:19.57 and eighth in the 3000-meter with a time of 10:41.71
-Asia Bryant and Kinsley Williams finished eighth and ninth in the shot put with their longest throws reaching 11.47 and 11.24 meters.
-Jayla Kennedy and Keniya Walker placed ninth and 10^th in the 300-meter with times of 40.33 and 40.51

The Panthers return to the track on Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Samford Open.