UB Track & Field Weekly Release

Bulls Split Squads For Weekend Relays

The University at Buffalo men’s and women’s track and field teams competed at two venues over the weekend with good results on both fronts. A small contingent of athletes competed at the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia while most of the squad saw action at the Hillsdale Gina Relays in Michigan. There was no team scoring in either event.

Jumpers Earn Strong Results in Philly

Rayshon Higgins

At the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, senior Rayshon Higgins (Buffalo, NY/Bishop Timon-St. Jude) earned an NCAA East Regional qualifying distance with his finish in the college triple jump to lead the Bulls at the meet. Higgins cleared 49-4.50 (15.05m) to set a season-best in the event and finish sixth among 24 entrants. Senior Roy Richards (Rochester, NY/Edison Tech) finished seventh of 26 competitors in the Eastern long jump with a distance of 23-4.75 (7.13m). Senior Reggie Rucker (Rochester, NY/Edison Tech) placed 22nd in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing in 14.49 seconds. UB’s men’s 4x100-meter relay team of Ezekiel Porter (Rochester, NY/East), Richards, James Graber (West Seneca, NY/Bishop Timon-St. Jude) and Rucker turned in a clocking of 41.85 seconds, finishing third in their heat and 28th overall among 69 teams. For the women, junior Carrie Hinners (Maple Grove, MN/Maple Grove) tied her season-best height with a height of 11-5.75 (3.50m) in the college pole vault to finish fifth overall.

Women’s Weight Throwers Dominate at Ginas

Tina Villa

At the Gina Relays in Hillsdale, MI, Sarah Vance (Lockport, NY/Lockport) won the hammer throw, improving her NCAA East Regional qualifying distance with a toss of 182-9 (55.71m). Tina Villa (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs) won the shot put with a season-best distance of 48-4.75 (14.75m) as Vance finished second at 48-3.25 (14.71m). Vance and Villa also competed in the discus with Vance placing third with a season-best 151-8 (46.22m) and Villa also turning in a season-best mark of 148-9 (45.35m) for a fifth-place finish.

Joki, Cameron Earn One-Two Finish in Decathlon

Todd Joki

The UB men scored a one-two finish in the decathlon as Todd Joki (Saratoga Springs, NY/Schuylerville) won the 10-event competition with 6,504 points. Russell Cameron (Ballston Lake, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) finished second to Joki with a total of 5,997 points. Joki won five events in the competition (100-meters, long jump, shot put, 400-meters and 110-meter hurdles).

Kennedy, Madonia, Black Pick Up Third-Place Finishes

Eugene Kennedy (Troy, NY/Troy) had a pair of third-place finishes, turning in season-best performances in both. He placed third in the triple jump at 45-4.50 (13.83m) and tied his season-best mark in the high jump with a leap of 6-6.75 (2.00m). Other third-place performances were turned in by Jake Madonia (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) in the men’s shot put at 53-6.50 (16.32m) and Kimarie Black (Long Beach, CA/Long Beach Polytechnic) in the women’s triple jump with a season-best leap of 38-0 (11.58m).