Jennifer Jezorski

ATHENS, OH - The University at Buffalo men's and women's track and field teams got the first real taste of Mid-American Conference competition with the McDonald's Invitational in Athens, OH. UB's women finished second (150 points) behind Kent State (174.5) in the 13-team field. The men took third (117.5) in a 12-team field, but just a quarter-point behind host Ohio (117.75). Kent State won the men's meet with 182.5 points. Marshall's men's and women's teams as well as the women's team from Toledo also represented the MAC in the field.

UB's Jennifer Jezorski (Elmira, NY/Elmira Southside) won two events to lead the Bulls' efforts. The middle distance runner took the 1500-meter race in 4:41.74, cutting four seconds off her previous personal best. Jenny Koeppel (Amherst, NY/Amherst) took second in 4:42.50. Jezorski also won the 800-meter run in 2:18.14 with Koeppel capturing fifth in 2:21.09.

Reggie Rucker

Sarah Vance (Lockport, NY/Lockport) took the shot put with a toss of 45-5.25 (13.85m) and also finished second in the hammer throw (157-4.25, 47.98m). On the track, Allison Laske (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) won the 400-meters in 56.73 while Krystal Seiling (Lewiston, NY/Lewiston-Porter) captured the 100-meter dash in 12.55 seconds. The 4x400 relay team was also victorious in 3:51.05.

UB's men picked up three first-place finishes in jumping events. In the long jump, Reggie Rucker (Rochester, NY/Edison Tech) took top honors with a leap of 22-8 (6.91m) with Rayshon Higgins (Buffalo, NY/Timon/St. Jude) finishing third at 21-4.25 (6.51m). Higgins came back to win the triple jump at 47-1.75 (14.37m), more than six feet further than the second-place finisher in a six-man field. Steve Esler (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) won the high jump at 6-8 (2.03m), an inch shy of his school record. Teammate Todd Joki (Saratoga Springs, NY/Schuylerville) tied for third in the event at 6-4 (1.93m). Joki also broke the school record in the 110-meter hurdles. He finished second overall in 14.45 seconds, eclipsing Mario Hicks' 14.52 set in the 2003 season.

UB's squads head to Lewisburg, PA for the Bison Outdoor Classic next Friday and Saturday.