Track & Field Weekly Release

Bulls Make Final Tune Up at Campbell/Wright Meet

The University at Buffalo men’s and women’s track and field teams prepped for the upcoming Mid-American Conference Championships and saw some MAC competition on Saturday as the University of Akron’s Campbell/Wright Invitational concluded the regular season. There was no team scoring. Among the competition at the meet included MAC members Kent State and host Akron as well as the Bulls.

Top of the Hill

Fatimah Hill

UB’s women earned three first-place finishes with a pair won by Fatimah Hill (Waterport, NY/Lyndonville). Hill won the women’s triple jump with a season-best mark of 37-4 (11.38m). She also tied for first place in the high jump with a leap of 5-6 (1.68m).

Javelin Throwers Nail Best Tosses

UB’s women’s javelin duo of Vanessa Roelofsen (Alma, Ontario/Norwell District SS) and Katie Weston (North Bay, Ontario/Widdifield SS) took the top two spots for the Bulls. Roelofsen won the event with a season-best throw of 163-8 (49.88m). The toss improved her NCAA East regional qualifying distance by more than six feet. Weston, who also has qualified for the regional meet, finished second to Roelofsen at 139-6 (42.51m). Meanwhile, P.J. Godios (Hamburg, NY/St. Francis) set a season-best in the men’s javelin with his throw of 197-11 (60.34m) for second place. The throw was just shy of the UB school record of 198-10 (60.60m) set in 1998. It was also a 16-foot improvement from his previous best of 181-4 (55.28m) that he threw at the UB Invitational on April 19.

Sprinters Set The Pace

On the track, Ezekiel Porter (Rochester, NY/East) set a season-best time in the men’s 200-meters with his third-place finish of 21.42. Brian Smith (North Tonawanda, NY/Nichols) finished fourth in 21.61 and Josh Thomas (Cedar Hill, TX/Cedar Hill) was fifth in 22.19 in his debut in the event. Smith also posted a season-best in the preliminaries of the 100-meters in 10.74, third-fastest in the heat. In the men’s 110-meter hurdles, Austin Archibald (Ridge, NY/Longwood) finished third in 15.23 after setting a season-best mark of 15.06 in the heats.

Stamatakis Breaks Discus Record

Alex Stamatakis

Junior Alex Stamatakis (Hania, Crete, Greece/First Technical & Vocational School of Crete) had a stellar day in the weight throws. Stamatakis broke his own school record in the discus with a throw of 168-4 (51.30m) to finish seventh among a strong field. The throw bettered his own mark of 167-7 (51.07m) set last season. He also placed seventh in the shot put at 53-4.50 (16.27m). Matt Gac (Newark Valley, NY/Newark Valley) also earned a second-place showing in the men’s hammer throw with a toss of 173-8 (52.94m).