Outdoor Track and Field Weekly Release

Strong Individual Performances Highlight MAC meet

Although the Bulls finished at the bottom of the standings in the MAC Championships in Toledo, UB picked up a pair of MAC champions and two more runners-up as the three-day meet concluded on Saturday. The UB men finished seventh with 54 points in the seven-team event. UB’s women placed 12th with 25 points among the 12 squads. Central Michigan (176.50) won the men’s team title. Akron (141) claimed the women’s title.

Heim Takes Hurdles Title For Second Time in Three Seasons

Junior

Brian Heim

Brian Heim (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) took his second men's 400-meter hurdles title in three seasons in a school-record time on Saturday. He broke his own school record by turning in a time of 51.75 to lower his school record by two-tenths of a second. Heim won the 2004 title in 51.95 to set the school record and then tied the time earlier this season at the Miami (OH) Invitational. He clocked the fastest preliminary time of 53.78 on Friday. Heim also earned All-MAC First Team honors with the win. He finished second in the event in the 2005 league championships.

Higgins Soars to Triple Jump Crown

Junior

Rayshon Higgins

Rayshon Higgins (Buffalo, NY/Bishop Timon-St. Jude) claimed the first MAC title of his career in the men's triple jump. Higgins soared to an easy victory in the men's triple jump with a distance of 48-10.25 (14.89m) to win the event by more than 15 inches. He posted the top two jumps of the competition, clearing his winning distance on his second attempt of the afternoon. He only attempted one additional jump before passing on his final two attempts and claiming the crown. Junior teammate Roy Richards (Rochester, NY/Edison Tech) finished sixth in the event with a season-best mark of 45-10.50 (13.98m). Richards also finished sixth in the long jump at 23-6 (7.16m).

Men’s Relay Breaks School Record

UB’s men’s 4x100-meter relay team earned a second-place finish as they broke the school record in the event for the second time this season. The foursome of Bryan Weinstein (Getzville, NY/Williamsville North), Reggie Rucker (Rochester, NY/Edison Tech), Heim and Richards completed the lap around the track in 40.99, bettering the previous record of 41.06 set on April 22 at the Northeast Ohio Invite. The UB foursome took second place by just two-hundredths of a second over third-place Akron (41.01).

Roelofsen Places Second in Women’s Javelin

Sophomore

Vanessa Roelofsen

Vanessa Roelofsen (Alma, Ontario/Norwell District SS) earned All-MAC second-team honors with her second-place finish in the women's javelin. Roelofsen, who also placed second at last season's championships, finished with a toss of 166-1 (50.63m) to place behind Akron’s Ashley Kaufman (176-10, 53.90m), the MAC leader in the event. Roelofsen’s throw was nine inches shy of the school record she set two weeks ago at the Gina Relays.

Kohout, Riley Post Strong 800-Meter Finishes

UB had a pair of third-place finishes in the 800-meter run. Junior Paul Riley (Buffalo, NY/Canisius) finished in 1:54.12 in the men's competition while junior Kate Kohout (Clarence, NY/Clarence) turned in a 2:10.89 in the women’s race, just missing her personal best by one-hundredth of a second after turning in the second-fastest qualifying mark (2:13.56). In the distance races, senior Jenny Koeppel (Amherst, NY/Amherst) scored a fifth-place finish in the women’s 10,000-meter run in 36:27.40 and placed sixth in the women’s 5,000-meters in 17:04.95. Freshman Mary Veith (Derby, NY/Lake Shore) turned in a seventh-place finish in the women’s 1,500-meter run in 4:36.59. Sophomore Dan Giza (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) was 10th in the men’s 1,500-meter race in 4:02.13.

Weight Throwers Score Top Results

The weight throwers posted some high marks, scoring in several events. Senior Mike Giordano (Springville, NY/Springville) placed fourth in the men’s shot put with a toss of 53-3.75 (16.25m), improving on his seventh-place showing from 2005. Freshman Jake Madonia (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) earned a point in his first league championship meet with his eighth-place throw of 48-8.75 (14.85m). Freshman Alex Stamatakis (Hania, Crete, Greece/First Technical & Vocational School of Crete) finished seventh with his discus throw of 152-2 (46.38m) while Madonia took eighth on Saturday at 150-7 (45.89m). Sophomore women’s thrower Tina Villa (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs) achieved a new personal best with her shot put of 46-0.75 (14.04m), bettering her previous best mark by more than eight inches, and earning a seventh-place finish.