Outdoor Track and Field Weekly Release

Bulls Prep For MACs at Campbell/Wright Open

The University at Buffalo sent a limited contingent of athletes to Akron’s Campbell/Wright Open as the Bulls prepared for this weekend’s Mid-American Conference Championships. There was no team scoring at the event held at Lee Jackson Field in Akron.

Riley Takes Men’s 800-Meter Race

Paul Riley

UB posted one winner in the competition. Junior Paul Riley (Buffalo, NY/Canisius) won the men’s 800-meter run. Riley posted a season-best mark of 1:53.79 in the three-man race to win over Akron’s Mike Baraona (1:57.31) and an unattached runner. Riley, the UB record holder in the event, sliced more than three seconds from his previous best time of 1:56.64 set at the Bucknell Bison Open.

Roelofsen, Housel Score Seconds for UB Women

Megan Housel

The UB women posted a pair of second-place finishes to highlight the competition. In the javelin, sophomore Vanessa Roelofsen (Alma, Ontario/Norwell District SS) placed second in the event with a toss of 169-6 (51.67m), just two inches shy of her record-setting throw from last weekend’s Gina Relays. Akron’s Ashley Kaufman, the MAC leader in the event, won the competition with a toss of 173-2 (52.79m). Also picking up a second-place finish was senior Megan Housel (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder). Housel turned in a finish of 11:11.51 in the 3,000 meters to place behind an unattached runner. Kelli O’Brien (Clifton Springs, NY/Manchester-Shortsville) was fourth in 11:17.86.

Bulls Also Earn Quartet of Third-Place Finishes

Jessica Schultz

Jessica Lister (Rodman, NY/South Jefferson), Jessica Schultz (Rochester, NY/Eastridge) and Tina Villa (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs) turned in third-place finishes in their events. Lister tied for the third spot in the women’s pole vault with a height of 11-5.75 (3.50m). Schultz took third in the 1,500-meter run in 4:59.77. Villa scored a third-place finish in the shot put at 44-10.75 (13.68m). Villa also set a season best in the discus with a toss of 150-1 (45.75m) to place fourth in the event. On the men’s side, Mike Giordano (Springville, NY/Springville) placed third in the shot put at 54-11.50 (16.75m).

MAC Meet Gets Underway on Thursday

The Bulls now head for the MAC Championships in Toledo, OH. The three-day meet begins on Thursday, May 11. At last season’s championships in Athens, OH, the UB women took seventh among 13 schools while the men were also seventh in a seven-team field. Faith Thompson earned a MAC title with her victory in the hammer throw and earned first-team All-MAC honors. Patrice Coney (Lyons, NY/Lyons), Roelofsen, Brian Heim (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) and Riley garnered second-team recognitions.