Faith Thompson

AKRON, OH – In the final tune up before the Mid-American Conference Championships, the University at Buffalo men’s and women’s track and field teams were victorious in two events apiece at the University of Akron’s Campbell/Wright Open at Lee Jackson Track and Field Complex.

UB weight thrower Faith Thompson (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls) was again victorious in the hammer throw with a toss of 190-10 (58.17m). The hammer throw victory was Thompson’s sixth in the seven meets that she has competed in during the season. Thompson also placed third in the shot put at 47-4.25 (14.43m).

Andy Wigton

For the UB men, distance specialist Andy Wigton (Rochester, NY/Greece-Athena) picked up a victory in the 3,000-meter run, an event not typically run in championship competition. Wigton clocked a time of 8:43.78 to lead three UB runners across the finish line. Dan McKenna (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) was fourth in 8:53.17 and Steve Strelick (Rochester, NY/Greece-Athena) was sixth in 8:56.91.

Both of UB’s 4x400-meter relay squads were victorious on Saturday. The women’s team finished in 3:47.17. The men’s team finished in 3:24.01.

Sarah Vance (Lockport, NY/Lockport) scored a second-place finish in the women’s discus throw at 143-2 (43.64m). She also eclipsed her season best with a toss of 175-6 (53.50m) in the hammer throw to place third. Megan Housel (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) finished third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 11:50.4. Jessica Lister (Rodman, NY/South Jefferson) established a season-best in the pole vault at 11-11.75 (3.65m) to also finish third. Charisse Everett (Rochester, NY/Edison Tech) also finished third in the long jump at 18-3.75 (5.58m) and clocked a season-best 12.04 in the 100-meters to finish fourth.

The UB men also picked up a pair of third-place finishes from Brian Heim (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) and Mike Giordano (Springville, NY/Springville). Heim clocked a 53.94 in the 400-meter hurdles while Giordano turned in a season-best performance in the shot put at 53-2.75 (16.22m).

The Bulls return to the Buckeye State for the MAC Championships starting on Thursday, May 12 with competition continuing through Saturday.