Roelofsen, Richards Advance to NCAA Championships

Vanessa Roelofsen

GREENSBORO, NC – Two University at Buffalo athletes have advanced to the NCAA Track and Field Championships with their top performances at the NCAA East Regional Championships which concluded Saturday at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro’s Irwin Belk Track.

Women’s javelin thrower Vanessa Roelofsen (Alma, Ontario/Norwell District SS) and men’s long jumper Roy Richards (Rochester, NY/Edison Tech) finished in the top five in their events to automatically qualify for the national championship meet to be held June 7-10 in Sacramento, CA.

Roelofsen finished second in the javelin with a throw of 164-9 (50.22m). The distance was second only to UNC-Wilmington’s Anna Raynor (168-0, 51.20m), who also defeated Roelofsen when the two athletes met at the UNCW Seahawk Invitational to open the outdoor season in March. Roelofsen, a Second Team All-Mid-American Conference honoree also earned All-East recognition with her performance.

Roy Richards

Richards finished fourth in the men’s long jump, breaking a six-year old UB record in the process. Richards posted a career-best and school record mark of 24-11 (7.59m) to break the mark of 24-10 (7.56m) set by MAC champion Kamau Halim in 2000. Richards finished second in his flight behind Florida State’s Johnta Griffin (25-2.75, 7.69m). Florida’s Mike Morrison won the overall title with a leap of 25-6.75 (7.79m). For his efforts, Richards also earned All-East honors.

Three additional UB athletes also competed over the weekend.

In the men’s triple jump, Rayshon Higgins (Buffalo, NY/Bishop Timon-St. Jude) placed 13th with a distance of 49-8.25 (15.14m). Brian Heim (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) finished 16th overall in the men’s 400-meter hurdles in 52.02. Heim finished second in his heat as the top finisher in each of the six heats and the next two fastest overall times moved into the finals. Both Higgins and Heim won MAC championships in their respective events on May 13.

Freshman Caitlin Godin (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) competed in the women’s high jump but finished with no height. She was unable to clear the opening height of 5-7.25 (1.71m).

In the team points competition, the UB women finished with eight points for Roelofsen’s second-place finish, placing 25th among 52 teams. The UB men scored five points for Richards’ fourth-place showing and tied for 38th overall among 54 squads. South Carolina's women (79.5) and Florida State's men (97) took the team titles.