TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

At the Ohio Invitational, you won both the long jump (22-1.5) and triple jump (44-2.50). How important was it for you to win that meet that featured two other Mid-American Conference schools in Ohio and Kent State?
I think it helped to set the tone for the season. Some of Kent State’s best jumpers weren’t there, but to be able to go out there in the tough conditions - the weather was pretty bad- and post decent marks was encouraging for me.

This weekend, Buffalo hosts the UB Open. What are some of the advantages of having a meet at home in UB Stadium?
I love having a home meet. I’m from Grand Island, so my family can come. It’s just nice not to travel. It’s nice to get to sleep in a little more. I know my surroundings here. I know the pit. It’s nice to be comfortable in the surroundings and be able to perform in front of the home crowd.

Even though you are primarily a jumper, you also fill in and run in sprints and relays for the Bulls. During a normal track meet, how do you stay organized and focused throughout the day to ensure that you compete your best in each event?
I just try to compartmentalize everything. When I jump, I’m going to focus on jumping. I have to keep an eye on time a bit so if a sprint event is coming up I sprint. When I’m doing a sprint, I focus on the sprints when I’m doing it and then if I go back to the jump, I try to refocus on jumping. It’s just being single-minded.

This year, you’ve seen Faith Thompson set and reset school throwing records of all kinds and Jenny Koeppel also win the MAC Cross Country title. What can you say about them as teammates and what they’ve done for the program?
They’re both just really cool people, track aside. It’s great that they perform so well. It really sets the pattern for the rest of us. I think it just represents UB very well, showing that we can attract good athletes and be competitive in the conference.

When you came to school here four years ago, Buffalo was just starting out in the Mid-American Conference. To see how far some of the teams have been able to progress in your four years, how exciting has it been to be a part of UB athletics?
It’s very exciting. The sense of pride in being a UB athlete has greatly increased. Just the general dynamic of athletics from freshman year to now has changed drastically. The basketball team this year, seeing the fans walking around with UB gear on so much more than four years ago was great. It’s just great to have something to be proud of. We can say, ‘I go to UB’ now and have it be a good thing.

While in high school you participated in soccer and track and field, both sports that don’t have a large presence in America’s media. So, who were the athletes that you really looked up to? Were they soccer and track athletes?
Not really. I played basketball in high school, too, and that was probably my favorite sport. I never really looked at athletes that much. I just tried to use my relationship with Christ. I think that helps me more and gives me goals more than looking at other athletes.

In high school, you played soccer and basketball as well as participating in track and field. What were some of the things that you learned on the soccer field and basketball court that have helped you during your track career?
Determination. A lot of times, things don’t work out for you. You get hurt or you just don’t get the playing time you want to. You have to persevere through that to achieve your goal and in track, it’s some of the same situations. Sometimes, my jumps aren’t as good or I’ll have a bad meet. Some people might get discouraged, but you have to try and go out there and make up for it the next meet.

Coming from Grand Island, just outside of Buffalo, what made you decide that UB was the place to be when you decided on a college four years ago?
I was going into engineering. I knew UB had a great engineering school and the price was pretty good, so I liked that. It was close to home and I knew it was Division I, so if I could compete here it would be a real good experience for me.

As a Buffalo guy, you would know as well as anyone else. What is really the best place to get chicken wings in this town?
I’d have to say Anchor Bar. I like how they’re a little bit crispier. Some people say Duff’s, but they have too much sauce on them, I think, so I’ll go with Anchor Bar.

What has been your favorite moment as a UB athlete?
For me personally, I think at Indoor MACs this past season. I scored the most points for the team and for me, that was a good accomplishment. Team-wise, last year at Outdoor MACs, I think was really good. We had some breakout performances and to see the team come together was great. In the past, we’ve had discouragement or people getting down on themselves, but I think the team was really confident last year and that really helped coming into this year as well.

“The 10 Questions With…” feature is compiled by Joe Guistina.