UB Track and Field Weekly Release

Bulls Split Squads For Penn and Gina Relays

The University at Buffalo sent men’s and women’s track and field athletes to both the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia and the Gina Relays in Hillsdale, MI over the weekend and came away with some top marks in both meets. There was no team scoring in either meet.

Men’s Sprinters Break Record Again

Ezekiel Porter

At the Penn Relays, the Bulls competed against some of the country’s top programs. The highlight for the Bulls was the second-place finish by the men’s 4x100-meter relay squad in the IC4A finals. The foursome of Dan Schichtel, EEzekiel Porter, Dan Harris and Brian Smith broke their own school record with a finish of 40.62, improving on their NCAA East Regional qualifying mark and lowering the school standard by three-hundredths of a second. East Carolina won the race in 40.57.

Godin Wins Heptathlon at Gina Meet

Caitlin Godin

Women’s multi-athlete Caitlin Godin won the heptathlon title with a season-best score of 4,821 to take the seven-event competition by 55 points over Michigan’s Tofumi Akeredula, the only other Division I entrant in the field. Godin won four events, setting season-bests in the high jump (5-5.25, 1.66m), shot put (32-2.25, 9.81m) and 800-meters (2:24.91) and also winning the 100-meter hurdles in 14.70.

Distance Runners Register Strong Finishes

Ryan Zillmann

UB’s men’s and women’s distance runners put up some strong finishes at the Hillsdale meet, including a victory in one event. Ryan Bloom won the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:31.64, turning in a season-best with the victory. In the women’s 1,500-meter invitational division, Mary Veith turned in a season-best time of 4:28.13 to finish fifth. Veith’s finish cut her personal best by four seconds and was just shy of the regional qualifying mark. In the men’s 1,500-meter open race, Ryan Zillmann finished fifth among 87 entrants in 3:54.71 while Dan Giza placed seventh in 3:56.29. Both marks were season-bests. Jacob Hagen also took fourth place in the 5,000-meter race in 15:14.23. There were over 100 finishers in the 5,000-meter race.

Dixon Breaks Own Hurdles Mark

Lataya Dixon

Lataya Dixon broke her own school record with a victory in the women’s 100-meter hurdles at the Gina Relays. Dixon took the event in 13.77, shattering the record she posted earlier this season of 14.04 and giving the sophomore an NCAA Regional qualifying mark. The time is the fastest in the Mid-American Conference this season and broke a 15-year old record in the event. Dixon also placed sixth in the 100-meters in 12.11 and seventh in the high jump at 5-5 (1.65m).