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UB Men's Indoor Track & Field Announces Awards

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo men’s indoor track and field squad presented its team awards for the 2007 season at the annual Athletic Awards Banquet held at the Millennium Hotel on May 1.

Head coach Perry Jenkins made the following presentations: Ezekiel Porter (Rochester, NY/East) was selected as the Top Newcomer; Jake Madonia (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) earned the Most Improved Player Award; Eugene Kennedy (Troy, NY/Troy) received the Coaches’ Award; and Reggie Rucker (Rochester, NY/Edison Tech) was named Most Outstanding.

Ezekiel Porter

The Top Newcomer Award is presented to the individual student-athlete who distinguishes himself as the most talented new player on the team or the individual who accomplishes the greatest achievements as a first-year player. Porter, a sprinter, set two school records during his freshman campaign. He established the UB record in the 200-meter dash in 21.49 seconds in the preliminary round of the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships and finished third in the finals. He also set the UB mark in the 60-meter dash in 6.77 seconds, winning the title at the Cornell Upstate Challenge on January 20. Porter qualified for the IC4A Championships in five events (55-meters, 60-meters, 200-meters, 400-meters, 1,600-meter relay) and raced in the semifinals of the 55-meters.

Jake Madonia

The Most Improved Player Award is presented to the student-athlete who has made the greatest stride or improvement in his performance from the previous season or from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. Madonia was UB's top indoor shot putter in 2007, setting a career-best mark of 56-4.50 (17.18m) at the MAC Championships to finish third behind a pair of Eastern Michigan throwers. Madonia also finished 19th among 31 throwers at the IC4A Championships and was named to the Academic All-MAC team.

Eugene Kennedy

The Coaches’ Award is selected by the head coach and is given to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the team virtues as defined by the head coach. The recipient is one who stands out in dedication, commitment, unselfishness and enthusiasm towards helping the team improve. Kennedy was UB's top high jumper, finishing his freshman season with a top mark of 6-9 (2.06m) at the Akron Open on February 3. He also set his best triple jump mark of 39-2.50 (11.95m) at the Akron meet. Kennedy scored points for the Bulls at the MAC Indoor Championships with his fifth-place finish in the high jump at 6-6 (1.98m).

Reggie Rucker

The Most Outstanding Award is given to the student-athlete who makes the most significant contribution to the accomplishments of the team through his skills and leadership. Rucker completed an outstanding senior season with school records in the 55-meter and 60-meter hurdles and a MAC title in the 60-meter hurdles in 7.98 seconds. He finished third in the 55-meter hurdles at the IC4A Championships in Boston and set the UB 55-meter hurdles record of 7.33 seconds at the Penn State Sykes-Sabock Challenge on February 10. Rucker established the 60-meter hurdles record of 7.89 seconds on the same Penn State track at the Penn State National Meet on January 27. The 60-meter hurdles time was the 27th-fastest time in the country during the regular season.

The Bulls completed their season with a fourth-place finish at the MAC Championships and tied for 15th among 53 scoring teams at the IC4A Championships.