NEWARK, Del. - Led by a first place effort from junior Brooke Golden, the Tigers opened their Colonial Athletic Association "Pod" meet in strong fashion at the University of Delaware on Friday evening. The Tigers lead Delaware and George Mason while trailing UNC Wilmington by just six points.

The Seahawks hold a 48.50-42.50 advantage over the Tigers while Towson has a 54.50-36.50 lead over the host Blue Hens. The Tigers also lead George Mason by a 73-18 margin.

Golden posted a time of 16:53.49 in the 1650-yard freestyle to win the event while junior Kayla Zeller followed in second place with a time of 16:55.95.

Meanwhile, junior Meredith Budner won the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:05.10 while sophomore Cari Czarnecki earned a third place finish with a time of 2:08.79.

The Tigers also placed third in the 200-yard freestyle relay by completing the event in 1:38.85. They also finished second in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:51.53.

The two-day meet concludes on Saturday with a pair of sessions beginning at 10 a.m.