AKRON, OH - In its final tuneup for next week's Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the University at Buffalo entered several of the team's throwers in competition at the Campbell/Wright Open at the University of Akron. There was no team scoring at the meet.

Faith Thompson

Leading the Bulls was sophomore Faith Thompson (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls). Thompson broke her own school record in the shot put with a toss of 43-8.50 (13.32m) to finish sixth among 17 entrants. She broke the mark that she had previously set last weekend at the UB Open by seven inches. Thompson also placed seventh in the hammer throw at 161-11 (49.36m).

Senior Sarah Fletcher (Ridgeway, Ontario/Ridgeway-Crystal Beach) took second in the hammer throw at 180-4 (54.98m). Ashland's Jackie Jeschelnig won the event at 192-9 (58.76m). There were twenty entries in the competition. Fletcher also took fourth place in the discus throw at 143-1 (43.62m).

For the men, shot putters Byron McKinney (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) and Joe Loiacono (Rochester, NY/Greece-Olympia) finished second and third, respectively, in their event. McKinney threw 55-3.50 (16.85m), just missing the school record mark that he set last week by 3.5 inches. Loiacono's distance was 53-9 (16.38m). Kent State's Brian Hallett won the event with a toss of 57-1 (17.40m).

Loiacono also finished sixth in the discus at 160-1 (48.80m) while McKinney was tenth at 145-9 (44.44m). McKinney also registered a sixth-place finish in the hammer throw at 166-2 (50.66m).

The entire Bulls' men's and women's squads will compete at the MAC Championships in Ypsilanti, MI. Competition begins on Thursday and runs through Saturday. UB's men placed 10th at last season's championship in Oxford, OH while the women finished 12th.