Outdoor Track Athletes Named to Academic All-MAC Team

Koeppel, Kohout earn women's honor; Weinstein, Olaleye named to men's team
BUFFALO, NY – Four University at Buffalo outdoor track and field athletes have been named to the Academic All-Mid-American Conference men's and women's teams, the league announced today in Cleveland. Named to the women's team were senior Jenny Koeppel (Amherst, NY/Amherst) and junior Kate Kohout (Clarence, NY/Clarence), while senior Bryan Weinstein (Getzville, NY/Williamsville North) and sophomore Babaseyi Olaleye (Lagos, Nigeria/Lagos) earned recognition to the men's squad.

Three of the individuals, Kohout, Weinstein and Olaleye, also were part of the MAC's Indoor Track and Field Academic All-MAC squad, announced at the end of the indoor season in March. This is Koeppel's third consecutive year on the outdoor list while Weinstein was also an Academic All-MAC selection for outdoor track in 2004.

Jenny Koeppel

Koeppel, a mathematics major with a 3.664 GPA, completed her outdoor career as UB's top women's long distance runner. A UB Scholar-Athlete and MAC Commissioner’s Award recipient, Koeppel holds the school records in the 5,000 (16:52.83) and 10,000-meter (35:32.65) runs. This season, she finished second in the 10,000-meters (36:09.89) at the Raleigh Relays and turned in a top 2006 time of 17:14.50 in the 5,000-meters at the Bucknell Bison Open. At the MAC Championships, earlier this month, she finished fifth in the 10,000-meters and sixth in the 5,000-meters.

Kate Kohout

Kohout, a classics major with a 3.694 GPA, led the UB middle distance runners as she finished third in the 800-meter final (2:10.89) at the MAC Championships, just missing her personal best by one-hundredth of a second. In the classroom, where she finished her fourth year, she has earned MAC Commissoner's and Presidential Awards as well as being named the 2005-06 SUNY Chancellor's Award winner for women's track and field. On the track, Kohout won the 800-meters in 2:12.56 at the Northeast Ohio Invitational and was part of UB’s top 4x400-meter relay squad, which set a season-best (3:54.19) at the MAC Championships. Kohout redshirted the 2003-04 indoor and outdoor track seasons.

Bryan Weinstein

Weinstein, a management major with a 3.814 GPA, ran the opening leg for UB’s record-setting 4x100-meter relay team (40.99) which finished second at the MAC Championships. He set UB's top individual time with a personal record in the 100-meters (10.75) at the Bucknell Bison Open, where he also posted UB's top time (21.60) in the 200-meters, winning the event. A UB Scholar-Athlete and MAC Commissioner's Award winner, he anchored the 4x400-meter relay team to a season best time of 3:17.77 at the Northeast Ohio Invitational.

Babaseyi Olaleye

Olaleye, a mechanical engineering major with a 3.502 GPA, set season-best marks of 24.16 for the 200-meters and 52.58 for the 400-meters this season. Named to the MAC Commissioner's Award list, he was also part of the 4x400-meter relay team, taking the baton on the third leg of the race.

There were 27 women’s honorees and 19 men’s honorees on the 2006 list. The number is either set for a specific sport or 33 percent of the number of nominees, whichever is greater. The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, student-athletes must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.

05/24/2006