KNOXVILLE, TN - The University at Buffalo sent several of its top track and field athletes to the highly-competitive Sea Ray Relays at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. There was no team scoring in the meet that featured many nationally-recognized programs and top squads from throughout the country.

Keith Gentes

Individually, UB athletes achieved four top-ten finishes in their events. Laura Olson (Lyons, NY/Lyons) placed seventh in the women's pole vault at 11-8 (3.56m). In the men's meet, Keith Gentes (Warwick, RI/Bishop Hendricken) took seventh in the open hammer throw at 180-4 (54.97m), bettering his regional qualifying mark set last week at the McDonald's Invitational by nearly a foot. Steve Esler (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute) tied for eighth in the open high jump at 6-4.25 (1.94m). Byron McKinney (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) placed ninth in the open shot put competition with a throw of 53-9 (16.38m). McKinney also placed 19th overall in the open hammer throw at 159-9 (48.08m).

Laura Olson

UB's men's distance medley relay team scored a school record with a finish of 10:03.94 to place sixth in its race. The time shattered the previous record of 10:19.94 set in 1995.

Other women's results included Faith Thompson (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls) finishing 14th in the hammer throw (162-7, 49.56m) and 21st in the shot put (43-10, 13.36m). Biaunca McFarland (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) took 15th in the triple jump (39-1.75, 11.93m) and 29th in the 200-meters (25.28). Christina Keck (Erie, PA/McDowell) finished 22nd in the 1500-meters in 4:36.63 and Meagan Rogers (Courtenay, BC/G.P. Vanier) placed 29th in the 100 hurdles in 15.78.

For the UB men, Joe Clark (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) finished 16th in the 400-meters in 48.06 and Jerimie Slick (Rochester, NY/Greece-Olympia) took 26th in the 1500-meters in 3:55.10.