Vance Sweeps Weekly MAC Awards

Sarah Vance

BUFFALO, NY – University at Buffalo senior women's track and field athlete Sarah Vance (Lockport, NY/Lockport) completed a sweep of the Mid-American Conference's weekly awards when the league announced that she had been selected as the MAC's Female Scholar Athlete and Field Athlete of the Week. Vance shared the league's academic honor with Central Michigan softball pitcher Ali Pettit.

Vance won three events at last Saturday's UB Open, establishing season-best marks in each victory. In the hammer throw, she improved her NCAA East Regional qualifying mark with a toss of 181-1 (55.20m). In the shot put, she also improved on her regional mark with a throw of 50-6.75 (15.41m). Vance finished the day with her third win, in the discus, with a season-best toss of 150-7 (45.89m).

Vance, a senior early childhood education major with a 3.439 grade point average, ranks at the or near the top of all three events in the MAC this season. Vance's shot put mark is the best in the conference, ranking four inches better than the current second-place throw this season. She also is third in the hammer throw, behind a pair of Akron athletes and fourth in the discus. The Bulls' women's record holder in the discus and the indoor shot put, Vance represented UB in March at the NCAA National Indoor Track and Field Championhips in the shot put finishing 15th among 17 throwers.

The Mid-American Conference recognizes four athletes for its weekly track awards with honors going to two male and two female individuals in separate track as well as field event categories.

The MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honor is presented to a MAC male and female student-athlete who has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and performs well during that week's competition. The winners are selected by a group of the conference's faculty athletic representatives.

Vance is the fourth UB athlete to win the academic honor this season. Football player Jesse Imes (Cincinnati, OH/Kings Mills), men's soccer goalkeeper Dan Bell (Brampton, Ontario/Notre Dame) and women's cross country standout Mary Veith (Derby, NY/Lake Shore) earned the weekly recognitions during the fall.