TRACK & FIELD

Men's Roster  |  Women's Roster  |  Coaches  |  Schedule / Results  |  News

Sarah Vance, Reggie Rucker Earn MAC Track Accolades

BUFFALO, NY – For the second consecutive week, University at Buffalo indoor track and field athletes have been named as Men's and Women's Athletes of the Week by the Mid-American Conference. The league announced its selections on Tuesday.

Sarah Vance

Senior thrower Sarah Vance (Lockport, NY/Lockport) was selected as the MAC's Women's Field Athlete of the Week for the second straight week while senior sprinter Reggie Rucker (Rochester, NY/Edison Tech) was named as the league's Men's Track Athlete of the Week.

Vance improved her NCAA provisional qualifying mark with an impressive victory in the shot put at the Penn State National Invitational last weekend. Vance's toss of 52-8.75 (16.07m) broke the UB record that she had set the week before at the Cornell Upstate Challenge by more than two feet. Vance bettered former Penn State All-American and second-place finisher Jen Leatherman, who competed unattached, by more than six inches. Vance's throw also moved her into the top 10 in the country in the event, solidifying her chances of making March's NCAA Championships field.

Reggie Rucker

Rucker attained an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the men's 60-meter hurdles at the Penn State National Invitational. Rucker reached the finals of the event in a very competitive field that included 24 hurdlers from top Division I programs in the East. Rucker shattered the UB record in the semifinal round, clocking a time of 7.89 seconds, more than a quarter-second better than the previous school mark. Rucker finished sixth in the finals in 8.05 seconds. His 7.89 showing is the fastest in the MAC this season.

Besides being UB records, both Vance's shot put distance and Rucker's hurdles time are also personal best marks for the athletes.

Vance and several other UB field event athletes will be in New York City this weekend for the New Balance Collegiate Challenge. Rucker and the remainder of the Bulls will be at the Akron Invitational, also slated for Friday and Saturday.