Bulls Roll to Victories at Cornell Outdoor Invite

Fatimah Hill

ITHACA, NY – The University at Buffalo men’s and women’s track and field teams won 20 of 38 events at Saturday’s Cornell Outdoor Invitational in Ithaca. The Bulls competed against the host Big Red as well as Syracuse and Mansfield in the non-scored meet as UB athletes posted several regional qualifying marks, a pair of facility records and a UB school record in the women's long jump.

Of the 20 wins by the Bulls, UB posted three women's and one men's double winners.

Senior Fatimah Hill won a pair of events including a record-setting effort in the women's long jump. Hill won the event with a leap of 20-3 (6.17m) to better her old record, set in the 2008 season, by 6.75 inches. The leap also qualified her for this month's NCAA East Regional Championships and is the longest in the Mid-American Conference this season. Hill also won the women's triple jump at 41-2.25 (12.55m), adding more than a foot onto her personal best.

Lataya Dixon

Sophomore Lataya Dixon also took two events, one on the track and one in the field. On the track, Dixon won the women's 100-meter hurdles in 14.26 while she also finished first in the women's high jump 5-5 (1.65m).

Junior Kara Black (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island) swept the women's sprint competitions with victories in the 100-meter dash in 12.54 and the 200-meter dash in a season-best 24.58. Black also ran the opening leg of UB's victorious 4x400-meter relay in 3:58.55. Joining Black on the foursome were Jackie Burns, Anna Holmes and Allison Grimes. Grimes also set a season and personal-best mark in winning the women's 400-meters in 56.35.

Senior Jessica Schultz set a season best with her victory in the women's 1,500-meters in 4:40.90 to lead UB's distance runners.

Ezekiel Porter

UB also had three additional women's field event winners, highlighted by Tina Villa's win in the shot put. Villa set a Cornell facility record and added to her regional qualifying distance with a throw of 47-11.25 (14.61m). Shante' White took the women's hammer throw at 162-2 (49.44m) and Katie Weston set a season-best mark in the women's javelin at 141-3 (43.06m).

The UB men were led by double winner Ezekiel Porter. Porter set a Cornell facility record and posted a personal best with his win in the men's 400-meters in 47.34, giving the junior the fastest MAC time this season. Porter also finished first in the men's 200-meters in 21.50, shaving four-hundredths of a second from his previous season best.

James Thurn

Joining Porter with men's track victories were Brian Smith, Ryan Zillmann, Jamal Norward and James Thurn. Smith won the men's 100-meters in 10.78 while Zillmann set a season-best mark with his win in the men's 800-meters in 1:55.30. Norward and Thurn won the hurdles events with Norward taking first place in the men's 110-meter hurdles in 14.80 and Thurn setting a season best with his 53.22 clocking in the 400-meter hurdles.

Junior Greg Tarshus and freshman Casey Garbaty won men's field events. Tarshus established a new season-best height with his victory in the men's high jump at 6-4.75 (1.95m) while Garbaty took first place in the men's javelin at 195-2 (59.50m)).

The Bulls conclude the regular season next weekend with Akron's Campbell/Wright Open on May 8-9.