TRACK & FIELD

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - Against some of the best competition they've faced all season, University at Buffalo athletes have established three new school records and posted several impressive marks at the Penn Relays at historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia. There is no team scoring at the meet, which attracts the nation's top collegiate athletes for the annual event.

Sarah Fletcher

On Thursday, Sarah Fletcher (Ridgeway, Ontario/Ridgeway-Crystal Beach) established a new mark in the hammer throw. Fletcher placed second in the event with a toss of 187-10 (57.27m). The toss bettered the mark of 184-3 (56.16m), set by Ruth Conlon in 1998. Teammate Faith Thompson (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls) placed 29th in the event with a toss of 153-2 (46.69m). Thompson later placed 12th in the Eastern Shot Put competition with a throw of 40-9.50 (12.43m).

Distance runner Todd Ludden (Hornell, NY/Hornell) scored a record late Thursday night with his 14:33.58 clocking in the 5000 meters. Ludden finished 28th in the race and broke his old mark of 14:55.14, set last season.

Todd Ludden

Friday, the men's sprint medley relay squad of Joe Clark (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home), Emeka Uche (Rochester, NY/East Rochester), Bryan Weinstein (Getzville, NY/Williamsville North) and Pete Zaccariello (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville) established a new record with their 3:28.11 showing. The team placed eight in its heat and broke the old mark set in 2000 of 3:28.27.

Other highlights from the first two days of competition included men's shot putters Byron McKinney (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) and Joe Loiacono (Rochester, NY/Greece-Olympia). McKinney placed third in the Eastern Shot Put with a throw of 54-4.50 (16.57m) while Loiacono took fifth at 52-8.75 (16.07m).

The women's 4x400 relay team of Jenelle Callender (Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn Tech), Christina Keck (Erie, PA/McDowell), Meagan Rogers (Courtenay, B.C./George P. Vanier) and Biaunca McFarland (Binghamton, NY/Binghamton) placed second in its heat in 3:54.91. McFarland also finished eighth in the Eastern Triple Jump competition at 38-7.50 (11.79m). Teammate Bernadette Boswell (Yonkers, NY/Roosevelt) was 14th at 36-9.50 (11.21m). Hollie Rhodes (Elmira, NY/Elmira Southside) finished 14th in the 3000 steeplechase in 11:31.47. Laura Olson (Lyons, NY/Lyons) tied for 14th in the pole vault at 10-4.25 (3.16m). The women's sprint medley relay squad of Callender, McFarland, Keck and Alison Laske (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua Academy) finished third in its heat in 4:03.38.

The men's 4x400 relay team of Clark, Uche, Chris Lenz (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South) and Weinstein raced to third in its heat in 3:17.64. The same foursome comprised the 4x200 relay team that finished fourth in its heat in 1:28.38.

Competition concludes on Saturday. The Bulls have one entrant in the day's races as the women's 4x800 relay team of Keck, Mindy Gorniak (Erie, PA/McDowell), Rogers and Laske take to the track around 1:40 p.m.