TRACK & FIELD

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Faith Thompson

MOUNT PLEASANT, MI - With impressive marks in the weight throw and distance races, the University at Buffalo women's track and field team stands in second place after the first day at the Mid-American Conference Championships at Central Michigan's Jack Skoog Indoor Track.

The Bulls posted 34.50 points after the first day of the women's meet, trailing Kent State (36) by just a point and a half. Eastern Michigan is third at 30, followed by Ball State (27), Miami (24.50), Akron (22), Central Michigan (20), Northern Illinois (17), Western Michigan (15), Toledo (7) and Ohio University (1). Bowling Green and Marshall failed to score on the first day.

In the men's meet, the Bulls are sixth among the six teams. Central Michigan leads with 44 points with Kent State second at 40. Akron and Eastern Michigan are tied at 27 with Ohio University (8) and UB (7) trailing.

Faith Thompson (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls) won the league's weight throw title, setting the MAC's meet record with a heave of 64-8.50 (19.72m). The throw not only broke the previous league meet mark of 63-0.25 set by Miami's Lauren Collins, it also extended Thompson's school record by more than a foot, set the Central Michigan facility record and bettered her NCAA Provisional qualifying distance. Thompson's toss was more than four feet better than second-place finisher Kristi Ford of Western Michigan. Ford held the previous facility record from earlier this season.

UB's Sarah Vance (Lockport, NY/Lockport), the MAC's indoor shot put champion from last season, placed seventh in the weight throw at 56-3.75 (17.16m).

Patrice Coney

UB's multi-event athletes performed well on Friday. In the five-event women's pentathlon, UB's Patrice Coney (Lyons, NY/Lyons) finished third with a school-record 3,595 points. Coney's total eclipsed the previous record of 3,508 points set by Meagan Rogers in 2002. Coney had a second-place finish in the 800-meters (2:26.15) and a third-place showing in the 60-meter hurdles (8.81).

Men's multi-event performer Todd Joki (Saratoga Springs, NY/Schuylerville) stands in second place after the first four events of the heptathlon. Joki has 2,830 points, trailing only Central Michigan's Jacob Friess by 120 points. Joki won Friday's 60-meter dash portion of the heptathlon in 7.18 seconds. The final three events are Saturday.

Todd Joki

The UB women's distance runners also scored high on Friday with a pair of third-place finishes. Senior Jenny Koeppel (Amherst, NY/Amherst) turned in a 17:17.50 clocking in the 5,000-meter run. Jill Scully of Ball State, whom Koeppel defeated to win the MAC Cross Country title last fall, took the indoor race in 17:09.21, setting a new facility record.

The UB distance medley relay team also scored a third-place finish. The team of Jen Jezorski (Elmira, NY/Elmira Southside), Vashone Wallace (Lackawanna, NY/Lackawanna), Kate Kohout (Clarence, NY/Clarence) and Kelli O'Brien (Clifton Springs, NY/Manchester-Shortsville) turned in a clocking of 11:54.87.

Two UB pole vaulters also scored points on Friday as Jessica Lister (Rodman, NY/South Jefferson) tied for fifth at 11-11.75 (3.65m) and Carrie Hinners (Maple Grove, MN/Maple Grove) took eighth at 10-11.75 (3.35m). For Lister, the height was a season-best mark.

For the UB men, the distance medley relay squad picked up a fifth-place finish in 10:23.56. The foursome included Dan Giza (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster), Ryan Brennan (Rochester, NY/Aquinas), Chris McClure (Trumansburg, NY/Trumansburg) and Steve Strelick (Rochester, NY/Greece-Athena).

Also scoring for the UB men was senior Gary Asbach (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island). Asbach finished sixth in the long jump with a distance of 22-7.25 (6.89m).

Competition concludes Saturday.