Cross Country Weekly Release

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Bulls Finish Third at Annual UB Stampede Invite

The UB men's and women's cross country teams each finished third in their divisions at the annual UB Stampede Invitational at Beaver Island State Park on Grand Island. Both teams scored 73 points in the overall standings with Akron's women and Binghamton's men claiming the team titles as both the Zips and Bearcats netted 38 points in their respective races. Ideal race conditions greeted the runners as 10 women's teams and 11 men's programs made up the fields which featured several Division I programs. Temperatures were in the mid-70s with a light breeze and a clear sky on the course adjacent to the Niagara River.

Women Place Four in Top 20

Jessica Schultz

In the women's 5K race, UB's Mary Veith (Derby, NY/Lake Shore) crossed the finish line in 18:13 to place second overall behind Akron's Kim Lorentz, who set a new course record in 17:45. Three other UB women finished in the top 20 as a total of 104 entrants finished the race. Senior Jessica Schultz (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) was 11th in 19:11 while junior Nicole Soblosky (Colonie, NY/Colonie) was 12th in 19:13. Senior Alex Bykowska (Poznan, Poland/Third High School of Poznan) took 20th in 19:34.

Bloom, Hagen Pace Men

Jacob Hagen

In the men's 8K race, UB's men had two finishers in the top 10 and the Bulls' five scorers all placed within the top 25. Sophomore Ryan Bloom (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport) was the top UB runner in 26:12.2 for seventh place. Sophomore Jacob Hagen (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) was ninth in 26:19.6. Junior Ryan Zillmann (Deer Park, NY/Half Hollow Hills West) was 21st overall in 27:04.0 with freshman Dylan Conway (Commack, NY/Hauppauge) finishing in 27:04.2 to take 22nd. Junior Scott Dickover (Middletown, NY/Middletown) was 24th in 27:07.4. Binghamton runners claimed the top two slots to ensure the team victory as Erik Van Ingen won in 25:48.4, three seconds ahead of teammate Chris Gaube (25:51.1). A total of 110 men competed.

First-Timers Get a Chance

Jackie Burns

The home meet allows several of UB’s additional runners to get a chance to compete during the regular season. Three women and one man made their season debuts on Saturday. Men’s freshman Bobby Biniaszewski (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) finished in 27:30.6 for 32nd overall. Jackie Burns (North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda) made her UB debut by finishing 38th in the women’s race in 20:28. Also racing for the first time in 2008 were freshman Meagan Kobielski (Rome, NY/Holland Patent) and junior Christine Sprehe (Boston, NY/Orchard Park).

Long Rest for Short Race

The Bulls are off this coming weekend for rest and preparation. UB next competes at the Lehigh Paul Short Invitational on Friday, October 3. The Paul Short meet brings out the top cross country teams from the east and is usually the largest field that the Bulls see in their season. At last year’s meet, the UB men placed 20th of 41 squads as Dan Giza (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) was the top finisher in 25:29 for 62nd place. The UB women finished 26th in a 47-team field as Mary Veith was 32nd in a 317-runner field in 21:39 for 6K.